The Best Four Years Of My Life
by gobuckeyes
Summary: AU Fiction. The year is 2009 and Tony DiNozzo is a 19 year old Sophomore attending The Ohio State University. His world is turned upside down when he receives a call from his mother telling him that she is marrying her boyfriend Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
1. Chapter 1

The Best Four Years of My Life.

The players were exiting the field and making their way to the locker room after the annual Spring Game known as the Scarlet and Gray Game. The Buckeyes loved this game because they had a chance to compete against one another on the field and the 95,722 fans loved it for the Big Beach Party held in the South Stands. Even the head coach opted for the Hawaiian OSU shirt rather then his normal sweater vest.

Tony was sitting on the training table as his teammates made their way back into the locker room. The student team trainer was examining the sprained ankle that the sophomore wide receiver had suffered a few weeks earlier making him ineligible for today's game. His two best friends on the team and fellow roommates, Josh and Steve were happy because they were on the gray squad today and gray beat the scarlet 23-3.

Tony smiled and was truly happy for his friends but at the same time, he was still mad that the ankle injury kept him from playing in the game today. He knew that this year he had a chance to really be noticed by his coaches. Especially, now that two juniors from last season decided to go to the NFL draft a season early. He knew he was ready to step up and contribute to the team, now he just needed his coaches to notice him and realize just how good he really was. He did not want to be buried in the depth chart as he was in his freshman year.

Being sidelined was not the way to get noticed and he verbally chastised himself again for getting drunk at the frat party he was invited to where he had to jump from a second story window as the father of the girl he was in bed with came bursting in the room to extract his wayward daughter from the house. How her father knew where to find her was still a mystery to him. The only thing he remembered about that night besides the intense pain in his ankle as he landed on the ground below was barely getting his boxers and jeans pulled up as he dove out the window as the girls father swung a baseball bat towards his head. He was lucky though, his coaches believed his story about turning his ankle while on a run and never did find out he was drinking under age, which could have had serious ramifications to his position on the team.

He was smiling and thinking to himself that he could lie his way out of any situation. He had even conned his mom out of a few hundred dollars telling her that with the ankle injury he was not able to work at his part time job at McDonald's and did not know how he was going to pay his third of the rent. This was not a complete lie, he had been worried about coming up with his share of the rent money but it was due to the fact that he had been fired from McDonald's for calling off the night of the frat party. He laughed again and thought aloud, "Yeah Anthony you have them all right in the palm of your hand."

The trainer looked at him and said, "What was that Tony?"

Realizing he spoke aloud he put on his biggest and brightest smile and quickly got the trainer off topic saying, "So how does the ankle look?" "It feels fine to me, I can put all my weight on it now and there is absolutely zero pain." To prove his point he jumped off the training table and started jumping up and down on the ankle.

The trainer smiled and said, "Relax Tony I was going to clear you for light practice anyway, just keep it taped and you will have to wear an ankle brace, but I will let the coaches know you're cleared to get back on the field."

Tony pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "YES!" He thanked the trainer and said, "Hey man some day you're going to make a great Veterinarian," then walked over to join his teammates.

The trainer, a fifth year medical student studying to be a heart surgeon glared at the retreating player and yelled, "Fuck you DiNozzo." Tony turned around, smiled, and said, "Sorry I already have a date tonight, maybe some other time."

The trainer shook his head but could not hide the smile on his face. The kid was a smart ass but that seemed to be what everyone including himself liked about him.

Just then Tony's cell phone rang, "Excuse me got to take this call; it could be the lucky lady after all." Without looking at the caller ID and with a big grin on his face he said in a very sexy voice, "Anthony DiNozzo man of your dreams, how can I service you this evening?" Suddenly the grin was gone and the trainer laughed when he heard Tony say, "Oh hi mom I was just fooling around, he-he", Tony nervously laughed into the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

In hearing how her son chose to answer his phone, his mother said, "Anthony" using her best angry mother voice to get her son to nervously apologize. "Sweetie I have some happy news to share with you." Tony stepped outside the locker room so he could hear his mother better.

"Yeah mom what's the good news?"

"Jethro proposed to me last night and I said yes."

Tony stood in shocked silence. His mother noting the long silence asked, "Sweetheart are you still there?"

Tony said in an almost whisper, "Yeah I'm here." He had heard of the man in his mother's life, Leroy Jethro Gibbs and knew they had been dating for well over a year. However, with him being away at College he had never actually met the man face to face.

When he came home on school holidays last year the man was always busy with his job at NCIS or Tony was out partying with old High School friends. He really had no desire to meet the man who was sleeping with his mother. In his mind, his mother would only belong to his father and no other man had a right to claim her as his own.

He found himself lost in thought and the images that he so often saw in his nightmares played vividly in his mind. He saw a plane crash into the Pentagon; the fire erupts and engulfs the building that his father worked in. September 11, 2001 was the last time Tony would see his father.

He knew it was selfish and that his next words would hurt his mother but he said it anyway, "So I thought you said you had some happy news."

His mother knew that of all her children, Anthony would most likely be the least enthusiastic about her happy news. Her two oldest boys Michael and Frank had gotten to know Jethro or Gibbs as her boys called him. They knew he was a good man and would take care of their mother and even though he scared the hell out of them at times, they would kick his Marine butt if he ever did anything to hurt their mother. Her two daughters were excited for their mother and only wanted her to be happy and if marrying Jethro made her happy, and then they too were happy.

She knew it was Anthony's immaturity and she knew he still had a hard time coming to terms with what happened to his father eight years ago. She knew she had to take a gentle approach.

"Anthony, your father would want me to be happy." Anthony shouted into the phone, "Don't you dare say dad would approve of this, how can you do this to him?" He did not wait for his mom to answer as he disconnected the call by slamming his phone shut. He thought to himself, "How can you do this to me?"

His mother sat in silence for a moment and then she began to cry. Her oldest son Michael came into the kitchen and saw his mom crying as she held the receiver near her chest. "Mom what's the matter?" She shook her head and continued to cry. Michael knelt down taking the receiver from his mother and hung the phone up and kissed his mother then wrapped her in a hug. "Ma what is it?"

She reached for a tissue on the counter, dried her eyes, and said, "Your brother was not happy with the news of Jethro and I getting married." Michael knew to exactly what brother she was referring. "I'm going to kick his sorry little ass for making you cry." "No Michael, just give him some time, please son." Michael nodded to his mother and said as he helped her up, "You know mom he's not a kid anymore and he needs to take responsibility for his actions and realize the world does not revolve around him. I know that everyone in the family spoiled him after losing dad and he is used to getting his way but I will not tolerate him being disrespectful to you and I know Gibbs will not put up with it either. He's going to be in for quite a shock when he shoots his smart ass mouth off to Gibbs."Michael paused for a moment then laughed; you know I'm kind of looking forward to the two of them meeting."

Tony stayed outside the locker room a few minutes longer to gather his composure then went back inside to see if his friends were ready to leave. Josh and Steve were getting dressed after showering and soon the three were heading home. None of them owned a car so they walked or used the free campus buses. Their apartment was about a 10-minute walk just off High Street.

"So what are we doing tonight guys?" Josh asked.

Steve answered first, "I have a math test I need to study for."

Tony answered with, "I have a date with a girl I met who is on the pistol and rifle team. I don't think I have ever slept with a girl who carries a gun, it's kind of hot!"

Josh smiled and said, "Do you think that with your track record with scorned women that you really want to take your life in your own hands by dating a woman who has access to a firearm?"

Steve burst out laughing and Josh had to take a step back as Tony tried to punch him in the shoulder. "Ha, ha, you're both so NOT funny." They made it home and each retired to their own rooms. Tony began to get undressed so he could shower for his date and paused when he took the cell phone out of his pocket. He knew he would have to call his mother and apologize for hanging up on her but he was still too mad to do it right now. He needed to go out, get laid and settle his mind; he would deal with his mother later. It was nearly 6pm by the time he was dressed and he had promised Linda he would meet her at the Mirror Lake Cafe on campus at 6:30 so when his cell phone rang and he saw the caller ID indicated it was his brother Michael calling he let the call go to his voice mail not wanting to deal with his older brother telling him how he had screwed up again. He would deal with the fall out later.

He met Linda at the arranged time, the two of them shared a basket of French fries, and each had a soda as they planned their evening. Tony knew he only wanted one thing tonight and that was to get this girl back to his place or possibly hers. It really did not matter to him. When he was angry, sex was always the quick fix to feel better fast. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve the pressures of everyday life but for him its sex. He never has a problem getting a girl in bed whenever he wants. After all, who could resist the 6'4" football player who looked like he just stepped off the cover of GQ Magazine? He was always smiling and joking around and knew how to have a good time and at this point in his life, it was all about having a good time and satisfying his needs and desires.

He leaned in to Linda and slightly tilted his head, his green eyes sparkling as he said, "What would you like to do tonight?"

Linda didn't miss a beat and said, "You"

He smiled to himself and thought, "This is just too damn easy." He took Linda's hand in his own and leaned closer and gently pressed his lips to hers, passing his tongue over her lips begging for entrance. She opened her mouth allowing him access and he deepened the kiss until Linda melted into him and whispered into his ear, "Do you want to go back to my place?" He could not help but grin and broke the kiss off, breathing heavily he asked, "Where do you live?"

Linda said, "My place is in the dorms just over there and my roommate is out tonight."

Tony smiled and took Linda by the hand and they walked to her dorm room and spent the next several hours exploring every inch of each other's body. Afterwards as Tony was getting dressed and preparing to leave, Linda slipped her cell phone number into his pocket and placing another kiss on his lips she said, "Call me tomorrow."

Tony just smiled and then he was gone. As he made his way back home he reached into his pocket, pulled out the piece of paper with Linda's cell phone number, and tossed it into the garbage can without thinking twice while Linda went to bed that night excited for the phone call that would never come.


	3. Chapter 3

Marie DiNozzo sat in her office in the back of the restaurant; she had just finished the weekly inventory and was in the process of making a food order for next week when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw Jethro standing in the doorway holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

Jethro had met Marie about a year ago while working a case in Baltimore. He had stopped at the restaurant for coffee and something to eat before he made his way back to DC. The two hit it off right away and Jethro learned that Marie owned the restaurant and that several members of her family also worked there. Over the past year, he had found himself spending less time in his basement working on his boat and more time driving to Baltimore to be with Marie.

He loved watching her face light up as she told him stories about her five children, Michael, Nicole, Gina, Frank and Anthony. He had developed good relationships with four of Marie's children and in fact before he had proposed to Marie he sat down with her family and told them that he planned to ask their mother to marry him and wanted to know if that was going to be a problem. Michael being the oldest matched Gibbs glare with one of his own and said, "If you hurt her there is not any place you can hide that I won't find you." Frank spoke up and said, "Yeah that goes for me too." The two girls just rolled their eyes and smiled at one another. Michael and Frank shared a look between them, broke out in smiles of their own, and said, "Welcome to the family." Gibbs sat back in his chair and said, "Now hold on your mother still has to say yes." Nicole said, "Oh she will, trust me."

The girls started planning the wedding now talking about when and where it should be. Gina said, "You guys have to pick a date that fits around Tony's classes and football." Gibbs sat back listening to his soon to be family and liked how this felt. Sure Marie's kids were all adults and a few of them had families of their own but it still felt good to be part of a family again. He thought about Marie's youngest, Anthony or Tony as his family called him. The kid was only 19, away at college. Although he had never met Anthony he had sure heard enough about him due to the fact the kid had a knack for getting himself in trouble. His gut was telling him that Marie's youngest son was going to be a problem.

Marie looked up from her food order and said, "Jethro what a nice surprise, I was not expecting you until later tonight." Jethro walked over to Marie, planted a kiss on the top of her head, and said, "Michael called me and told me what happened yesterday." Marie's smile slipped away and she said, "I should have waited to tell him, I don't know what I was thinking, the two of you have never even met. I hope he didn't go out and do something stupid last night." Gibbs looked at her and said, "Why don't you try and call him, now that he has had a little time to cool down." Marie replied, "I have left 4 messages already but he's not picking up, Jethro I'm worried."

Jethro sighed wiping a hand over his face. He looked at his watch and said, "If we leave now we should be in Ohio by the time he gets out of classes for the day." "Let me just make a call to the Navy Yard and let my team know I will not be in today."

Senior Special Agent Timothy McGee hung up the phone saying, "That's strange, boss is not coming in today." The other two agents sitting in the bullpen, Kate and Ziva looked up from their computer screens. Kate asked, "Did he say why?"

"No, just said that I was in charge until he got back and if something comes up to call him and let him know about it."

Ziva smiled and said, "I bet it has something to do with that woman he has been seeing?" Tim and Kate just shrugged their shoulders and the three agents went back to work.

The drive to Columbus from Baltimore takes just under seven hours and with Gibbs driving, they made it in six. Looking at her watch Marie saw that it was almost 3pm. "Jethro lets try his apartment first; if he's not home then we can drive by the campus and see if he's at football practice."

Jethro knew that the kid could be anywhere, "Call him on his cell again." Marie dialed the number and again after several rings it went to voice mail.

"He's purposely avoiding my calls Jethro because the calls I make are not going directly to voice mail, the phone rings multiple times before voice mail is activated which tells me his phone is turned on."

Jethro reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, "McGee I need you to triangulate a cell phone for me." Marie gave Jethro the number and McGee soon had a fix on the cell phone. He gave Jethro the address and was then met with dead air, realizing the boss had hung up.

Kate asked, "What was that all about?"

McGee studied his screen and said, "Sounds like the boss is working a case, he needed the location of a cell number. It looks like boss man is in Ohio."

As Jethro and Marie pulled up to the address McGee had given them they could hear the music blaring from the house in front of them and the laughter and screams coming from inside indicated that a party was in full swing. They knocked several times but no one could hear them over the loud music making the house itself shake. So they just walked in and were met with at least 50 or so young adults both men and women in full party mode at 3pm on a weekday afternoon. The house smelt of booze and marijuana and there was more then one couple making out on the various pieces of not just the furniture, but on the floor and staircase as well. They did not even want to think about what was going on upstairs in the bedrooms.

Jethro told Marie to start looking. They made their way into the next room where all the laughing was coming from and Marie scanned the room looking for her son. She found him sitting on the couch playing a video game with a group of other people. He held a beer in one hand and had his other arm around a pretty blonde who was sitting on his lap with her hand down the front of his pants.

When Tony's eyes met the angry eyes of his mother, he immediately tried to distance himself from the beer and the girl by sending them both tumbling to the floor as he jumped up in surprise. "Mom what in the hell are you doing here?" Everyone around him laughed and knew their friend was completely busted.

"Anthony, I think I should be asking you that very same question."

Tony was completely humiliated and he was now angrier then ever with his mom. He did not want to have this conversation with her in front of his friends so he got up to leave. That is when he noticed the silver haired man standing behind his mother.

He pushed by both of them purposely hitting Gibbs hard with his shoulder as he passed and told his mother, "I can't fucking believe you did this to me." He made it as far as the front porch before he felt something grab him from behind and swing him around slamming him into the side of the house.

"You will not talk to your mother that way, are we clear?"

Tony was more shocked then hurt from being slammed into the house and could not get the words to leave his mouth so instead he just nodded.

Gibbs patted him on the cheek and said, "Good".

Marie went to her son and was hurt when he turned away not wanting to make eye contact with her. "Tony, I was worried when you would not return my calls, I came here not to embarrass you in front of your friends, I came because I love you son and want you to meet the man I fell in love with." Tony continued to look down not making eye contact with his mother. Marie gently lifted his chin and said, "No one will ever replace your father but you know as well as I do that your father would want me to be happy."

Tony nodded, knowing that his mother was right but he just could not help the way he felt.

Marie continued, "I love all of my children so much, every one of you remind me of your father in so many ways. We cannot change the past but together as a family we can be happy and keep moving forward."

Tony looked down suddenly ashamed of his behavior and quietly said, "I love you too mom, I was going to call you tonight and apologize. I want you to be happy; I was just surprised by the news that's all."

Marie gave her son a big hug and pretended to not notice the tears in his eyes. She brought his head down to her shoulder allowing him a few seconds to gather his composure then she said, "I have someone I would like you to meet. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, this is my youngest son Anthony DiNozzo."

Tony looked down at the hand Gibbs was offering him. Then he began rubbing the back of his head that had hit the side of the house and said, "Yeah I think we kind of already met." He returned the handshake and said, "It's nice to meet you sir."

Gibb's smiled at the young man before him and said, "It's nice to finally meet you too Anthony, you can call me Gibbs."

Marie smiled at her two men and said, "Let's go get something to eat and get to know each other better."

As the three made their way to the car Marie said, "Were also going to discuss what you were doing drinking a beer when we walked in."

Tony's hand froze on the car door handle as he hoped she would not mention the other compromising position she had found him in.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony was back at his apartment after spending the rest of the day with his mom and Gibbs. He did not want to disappoint his mom so he pretended to have a nice time while at lunch. He was now telling his friends about his mom's fiancé. "The guy is really scary; I mean he has this stare that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. He hardly talks at all and anytime I made a joke he looked at me like I was crazy."

"I can't figure out what my mom sees in the guy and the next time he lays a hand on me I don't care what my mom says, he's going down." Tony punched his right fist into his open left palm to get his point across.

Steve said, "Didn't you say the guy was a Marine or something?"

"Yeah, so what?"

.

"No offense Tony but I've seen you fight and I would put my money on the Marine if the two of you ever went at it."

"Did I mention that he's old, I mean really old and I'll have you know I can defend myself just fine, thank you."

"Yeah, sure you can," Steve and Josh both said while sharing a look, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys, I thought the dude was a girl, I mean you have to admit he was a knockout in that dress, right?"

Josh and Steve broke out laughing recalling the incident at Spring Break last year when Tony got his ass kicked by a guy in a dress whom they all thought was a beautiful woman.

Flashback: Spring Break, Florida 2008.

Tony had been making his move on the exotic beauty out on the dance floor when he suddenly felt something pressing against his thigh, he reached down with his hand and when he realized what he was touching he freaked. He pushed his dance partner away from him causing him to fall. The guy got up, straightened his dress then hauled back, and decked Tony, knocking him out with one punch. Everyone in the club thought that Tony had been knocked out my a woman, including Josh and Steve who were told by the clubs bouncers to collect their friend, leave and to not come back.

End of flashback…

Josh and Steve believed Tony, but they still loved teasing their friend about that night.

Josh asked, "So what are you going to do now that your mom expects you to play nice with the guy?"

Tony collapsed on the couch and threw his arms in the air, "What can I do, my mom seems to really like the guy, I can only hope she comes to her senses and calls off the wedding."

Tony got up from the couch and grabbed his backpack, "I'll talk to you two losers later, I need to study." He made his way down the hall to his bedroom and powered up his laptop. Three hours later, he had finished his math assignment and was nearly finished with his paper on the Russian Revolution when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was Samantha, the girl he had been with earlier at the party.

"Hi Sam, sorry about earlier today, I hope I didn't hurt you when I made you fall?"

"It's okay Tony; I hope you didn't get in too much trouble with your mom."

"It's all good, I know how to handle her," Tony easily lied.

Samantha continued, "So Tony, are you busy right now?" I was kind of hoping we could pick up where we left off."

"Really!" Tony replied and Samantha could tell he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes really," Samantha said with a giggle. "I have not been able to think of anything else since you left the party, so can I come over?"

Tony looked at his unfinished history paper and then at his cell phone, he was remembering Samantha sitting on his lap and her hand slowly making its way down the front of his unbuckled jeans. His eyes opened wide at the memory and he immediately shut off his computer saying, "Not busy at all, how soon can you be here?"

Samantha had a thing for jocks, in fact, she had already slept with Steve and Josh and several others from the football team and for all Tony knew, the basketball team, hockey team and so on. She was not looking to fall in love, she just wanted to have fun and add another jock to her list of conquests. Tony being such a nice guy was more then willing to help her out.

By the time Samantha was finished with Tony he could barely speak. He had never been with a woman who took total control while in bed and he realized he liked it. She knew just where to touch, suck, kiss and bite. He was a little afraid at first when she pulled out the pink furry handcuffs but soon found he enjoyed her little game of role-playing and he was all to happy to be the naughty criminal to her sexy policewoman. He nearly passed out twice and set his own personal record by doing Sam three times in less then two hours. Samantha could have gone another round but Tony's body would not respond. He was exhausted and fell asleep and never heard Samantha leave his room. He woke up the next morning to find her cell phone number written on his bathroom mirror in red lipstick. This was a number he would keep and he knew he would be calling her again. "As he stepped into the shower to get ready for school he said, "Man I love college".


	5. Chapter 5

A/N For all previous and future chapters I declare that I own nothing and any recognizable characters from the NCIS television series are only being borrowed and I promise to return them unharmed.

Spring had turned to summer in Columbus Ohio and Tony was anxious for summer football camp to begin. He had worked hard in the spring after recovering from the ankle injury and really impressed the Buckeye Coaching Staff with his speed, good hands and route running. He was getting good write ups in the newspaper from the Buckeye beat writers and was excited to go on line and see his name mentioned on ESPN and other college sports websites. He had even appeared on a few local sports radio stations for live interviews and he loved all the attention he was getting.

The football coaches made sure that all players, especially the younger players attended the mandatory "How to handle the media seminars." They knew that once the season started the young men would be expected to make themselves available for interviews and other functions that the university required of them. Tony was called into the head coach's office and reprimanded after he was heard making obscene comments to a female reporter. After running laps for what seemed to be all morning and having to take the class again, he had learned another lesson the hard way but grew up a little bit more that day.

Out on the football field the wide outs were working with the two quarterbacks on option plays and taking short passes. It seemed that everything they did was being charted and Tony wondered what his coaches were writing about him.

When it was his turn he took the hand off from the quarterback and got passed the defender untouched each time he held the ball. When it was his turn to run a screen route, he ran it perfectly and caught the passes with style and grace. The coaching staff was very impressed with his progress over the past year and liked how the kid was easily coachable and listened to what they said and was now the better player for it. He still needed to be watched carefully because he had a habit of goofing off when he thought no one was looking but as long as the staff kept him busy he did his work.

The days practice had just ended and Tony was sitting in front of his locker answering questions from a few reporters from the local TV stations and the Columbus Dispatch Newspaper. They were doing a segment about the team and it seems that the coaching staff revealed to them earlier that Tony was one of the players to watch this season.

He was so happy that his hard work had paid off and that he was not only going to be on the starting team this year, but his coaches were expecting big things from him. Everything in his life was perfect, well almost. He still had to attend his mothers wedding next week.

He was so unhappy when he had to go downtown a few days earlier to be fitted for a tuxedo so the correct size information could be forwarded to the Baltimore store. He did not know why his mom wanted him to be in the wedding party. He figured it was because Gibbs was so mean that he did not have any real friends that he could ask. His best man was going to be some guy named Ducky. He laughed when he thought of the name and wondered how someone could have a name like that.

The day he had been dreading had arrived and he was glad that it was his two brothers that came to pick him up to drive him back to Baltimore. He did not want to be in the car with his mom and Gibbs for that long of a drive. Michael and Frank knocked on the apartment door and were greeted by their younger brother.

They both looked at Tony and realized their kid brother had grown at least a few inches since leaving for college a year ago and his young body was really filling out. Tony answered the door with his jeans loosely hanging on his hips and he was not wearing a shirt because it was so hot and his apartment did not have air conditioning. His chest was muscular and his abs were well-defined making him look a little older then his 19 years. Both Michael and Frank sucked in their bellies a little, having been intimidated by their kid brother's athletic physique.

Tony greeted each brother with a hug and then a gentle shove like most brothers do. "It's great to see you guys, how was the drive?"

Michael said, "It was long and hot and we would have been here sooner if someone didn't have to stop every hour."

Frank answered, "Hey, its hot out and when you drink lots of water it has to come out at some point."

Tony laughed at his brothers and realized that he missed them more then he realized. He was looking forward to spending the next three weeks back home with the family, he just wished that one Leroy Jethro Gibb's was not going to be there.

Before they left Ohio, Tony showed his brother's some of the newspaper articles written about him that he kept in his bedroom. He then took them to the OSU campus and took them on a tour of the "Horseshoe" where the games are played. He introduced them to some of his teammates that were working out in the weight room and both Michael and Frank were as excited as kids themselves when they got to meet some of the seniors on the team that were well known sports figures and were destined to play in the NFL next year. Tony was a little embarrassed when his brothers asked some of the guys for their autographs.

The car ride back to Baltimore was filled with Michael and Franks questions about college life and they wanted to know all the details of the numerous dates their brother seemed to have. Tony was not bashful and told his brothers about all the different girls he had been with and what he did with each one, at times going into explicit detail about his favorite ones. His brothers laughed when he told them his nickname was "The Sex Machine."

Michael looked in the rear view mirror as Tony just finished telling the story of the sex crazed Samantha. "You better keep these stories between us, if mom heard you talking she would freak out. She is always going on about how lonely poor Tony must be in Ohio all by himself, but truth be told I think this would be harder for her to deal with knowing her baby is being ravaged by countless woman."

Frank joined in, "Yeah I can hear her now, all those women chasing after my sweet innocent baby."

Tony laughed and knew his brothers were probably right. His mother did after all think that he was special. "So what do you guys know about this guy mom is marrying?"

"Gibb's is alright," Michael Said.

Tony blew out a prolonged breath and slumped down in the back seat.

Frank said, "He took some getting used to but he's okay, I think he will be good for mom."

Michael continued, "I feel the same way, he's a man of few words but I can tell he's a stand up guy."

"Yeah, well do you want to know what I think?"

Michael and Frank both said "No."

Tony pauses with his mouth still open as he was about to speak.

Michael continues, "Tony this is not about you, I suggest if you have any negative things to say, you best keep it to yourself. Your only going to hurt mom because I can tell you right now that Gibbs does not give a damn about how you feel about him, but it means everything to mom to have us all get along."

Tony sighed and told his brothers, "I'm not going out of my way to kiss his ass, I'll tolerate him when mom's around but that's it."

Michael let out a deep breath and knew Tony was going to get himself in big trouble if he could not control his anger. He had a habit of speaking before thinking and this had left him in trouble on many occasions. Michael himself being almost 15 years older had to discipline Tony while he was growing up and knew that the young hot head does not like to be told no or that he cannot have nor do something. He knew that Gibbs would try to be patient with him but he was willing to bet it would not take much for Tony to seriously piss Gibbs off.


	6. Chapter 6

Marie had just finished putting fresh linens on Tony's bed and went downstairs to wait for her boys to arrive. She saw Jethro sitting at the kitchen table sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. She poured herself a cup and sat down to join him.

"Jethro I wanted to talk to you about Tony. I was hoping that maybe the two of you could spend some time together, you know try to get to know each other better. I know you tried at the restaurant to be friendly to him and he did not respond as I would have liked him to." (This seems to be a very different version of the story then the one Tony told his roommates.)

"I did try Marie, I asked him about school, sports, how he liked living in Ohio, but it's hard to hold a conversation with someone who answers every question with "its fine" and the joke he made about the waitress and her bra size, what was that all about?"

Marie smiled, "Tony uses his humor as a shield, it's usually in bad taste but it's at its worst when he is uncomfortable and trying to remain in control. He played you just as he wanted by rebuffing your efforts to reach out to him." Tony's mother knew her son well.

Jethro smiled thinking that Tony sounded a lot like him when he was that age. He could only imagine what it must have been like for an 11 year old to lose their father in such a horrific way and from what Marie had told him the death of her husband was something Tony still struggled with.

"He really is a sweet and sensitive boy Jethro, don't let him fool you otherwise."

Jethro loved Marie and wanted to have good relationships with all of her children but he was never good at dealing with outright hostility, but for his Marie he was willing to try.

"Don't worry Marie, I will try again, I see here the Orioles are in town, maybe I'll take him to a ballgame."

Marie heard the front door open and saw that her boys had returned. The next three weeks were going to be a time the whole family would never forget and Jethro's patience would be pushed to the limit.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony smiled at his mother standing in front of him with open arms. She kissed him on the cheek and took a step back from him to look him over. "It's good to be home mom, I have missed you so much and I can't wait for a home cooked meal." Tony could smell his mom's spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. She knew that it was his favorite and whenever he was home from school, she would make it special, just for him.

Michael and Frank made their way into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Gibb's while their mom fussed over Tony. A few minutes later Marie and Tony joined them all in the kitchen. "Sit down honey and I will get you something to drink, boys can I get you something as well?" Michael and Frank asked for iced tea, Gibbs wanted another coffee and Marie knew Tony would like a Dr. Pepper, she knew it was his favorite and made sure she had plenty on hand for his visit.

Gibbs looked across the table at Tony, "It's nice to see you again", he said in a friendly tone as he reached his hand out to Tony. Tony returned the handshake and said, "Yeah same here."

Marie brought everyone their beverages and decided that she should get the conversation started. She joined her family at the table and said, "Jethro why don't you tell us about your work at NCIS, I think Tony would find it very interesting since he is studying Criminal Science at Ohio State."

Jethro looked over to Tony, "Oh really, are you planning on going into law enforcement after you graduate?"

Tony poured his Dr. Pepper into his glass and took a sip. "Maybe, if I don't make it to the NFL."

Frank added, "He's not joking, you should see the newspaper articles he showed us, apparently he is turning into quite the celebrity in Columbus." Tony's cheeks blushed a little and he said, "The coaches think I have a good shot to go pro." Tony secretly smiled to himself that the conversation had shifted to him rather then Jethro's job at NCIS. He knew it was petty and juvenile but he somehow felt that he was in competition with the man.

Marie looked proudly at her son, "That's wonderful honey; before you leave I want you to show me how to look at the articles on line so we all can follow your team this season."

Gibbs was a big football fan and had season tickets to the Redskins and enjoyed college football as well. He was a big Penn State fan being from Stillwater. He knew that the Buckeyes were in the Big 10, the same conference as Penn State. He decided that football would be a safe topic.

"I really enjoy college football, my favorite team is the Nittany Lions, and you know I was actually recruited by Joe Paterno when I attended Stillwater High School but I decided to join the Marines instead."

Tony looked up surprised, "Really, what position did you play?"

"Quarterback, took Stillwater all the way to the State Championship my senior year, what position are you playing Tony?"

"I'm a wide receiver but I have been getting a lot of reps at tight end and I'm also really good on the kick return team, the running back coach is trying to talk coach Tressel into seeing what I can do as a running back, he thinks that would be my best shot at the pro's but so far they are keeping me as a receiver."

Gibbs nodded, "I did a little punt returning back in high school, special teams are often the difference that makes good teams great."

Tony nodded in agreement and felt a little guilty for secretly being glad that no one asked about Jethro's work at NCIS, so Tony decided to re-ask the question. "So what exactly do you do at NCIS?" Tony had Gibbs pegged as a paper pusher, probably the guy that makes sure all the agents fill out their expense reimbursement forms properly. He was surprised at what Gibbs told him.

.

"I'm a field agent, I head the Major Crimes Response Team which deals with anything from terrorism, illegal arms trade, drugs, murder, you name it and my team has worked it."

Tony looked surprised, "So you carry a gun?"

Gibb's smiled, "Yes I do its part of the job."

Tony smiled back, "How many people have you killed?"

Marie looked across the table and said, "Tony that's enough."

Tony lifted his arms in mock confusion and said, "What?"

Gibb's put his hand over Marie's, "No, its okay I don't mind answering. Yes, I have had to use lethal force more then once but I can tell you that I have never lost a single night of sleep over any of them."

Tony thought about what he had just been told and asked, "Can I see your gun?"

Gibb's simply answered with, "No you can't, and firearms are not toys and are not for the untrained hand."

Tony laughed and said, "What makes you think I have never held a gun before?"

Gibb's just stared at Tony not saying a word. Tony tried to stare back at Gibb's but finally had to blink. "Okay so maybe I have never technically held a gun, but it's not like I am dumb enough to shoot myself in the foot."

Frank could not resist and said, "Huh! You are exactly that dumb little brother." Everyone laughed at Frank's comment and Tony slumped down in his chair.

Gibbs noticed Tony's sudden enthusiasm begin to fade so he said, "I can try and get us on the NCIS firing range and I can show you how to handle a weapon properly."

Tony's enthusiasm once again peaked, "Cool, I have always wanted to shoot a gun."

Gibbs nodded and smiled over at Marie feeling pretty good about how things were going. Marie asked Jethro, "Do you think you could arrange a visit for the boys to see where you work at NCIS?"

"I don't see why not", Jethro said taking another sip of his coffee."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a large group entering from the other room. The rest of the family that had been working at the restaurant arrived for the family dinner. The group included Michael's wife and two kids, Nicole and her husband Dominick, Gina and two sets of grandparents. Tony was pulled up from the table and passed around from one grandparent to another getting smothered in kisses and hugs. He finally broke free and went to his room and came back with Ohio State T-Shirts for his little niece and nephew who were absolutely crazy about their Uncle Tony and always expected him to bring them presents whenever he came home from school.

Marie went into the dining room to set the table for the family dinner smiling at the progress that was made tonight. She was looking forward to having her whole family together to share a meal. She looked over to the fireplace where a picture sat in a prominent place in front of a folded American Flag protected in a glass case. "Thank you Steven for giving me such a wonderful family."

Tony went down the hall to wash up for dinner and was thinking that maybe Gibbs was not as bad as he had first thought and if he played his cards right he could probably get Gibb's to give him anything he wanted. "Oh yeah! This could turn out to be really good," He laughed as he made his way from the bathroom back to the dining room.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony finished brushing his teeth and slipped his OSU flannel pajama bottoms on, he then went over to the bed and powered up his laptop to check his emails. While he was waiting for his Internet connection, he slipped his "Michigan Sucks" t-shirt over his head and flopped down on the bed. He noticed his in box was quite full and he quickly scanned the list of emails to see if there was anything urgent. Seeing none, he started from the top and worked his way down the list.

When he was finished, he sent emails to some of his old high school friends letting them know that he was in Baltimore. He hoped that some of his old girlfriends were available so he would not have to go out of his way to find a little action while he was in town. After just a few minutes, he had a response from Tiffany. They had dated for three weeks their freshman year in high school and lost their virginity to each other that same year, but broke up after her family moved to Virginia.

Flashback...freshman school dance.

He can still see Tiff in her pink dress wearing the corsage that he bought her. He remembered how she kept rubbing against him while they danced and how that had driven him crazy. Tiffany asked if he wanted to go out for some fresh air and one thing led to another. First, it was kissing, then hands began to explore each other's body then Tiffany surprised the hell out of him by asking, "Do you want to do it?"

At first, Tony panicked. He had never been with a girl like that and did not want to look like he was inexperienced, even though he was. He knew the basics from what his older brothers and friends had told him and he had seen enough porn on the Internet to know the female anatomy extensively but still he panicked.

He was really turned on and the bulge in his pants felt like it was about to explode so he took a deep breath and led Tiff under the football bleachers. She laid down and Tony slowly lowered his body over hers, kissing her gently. Tony then sat up and began to unzip his pants when he realized, "Shit we don't have a condom."

They both looked at each other and Tiffany said, "I've heard that it's real hard to get pregnant the first time, so I think were safe." Tony momentarily forgetting everything he had learned in sex-ed class foolishly thought that it sounded logical so they continued.

Without lube or a condom available Tony lifted the hem of Tiffany's dress and slowly pushed into her, he froze when he heard her cry out in pain and started to pull out. She said, "No keep going, I think this is suppose to be how it works." Tony wondered where Tiffany was getting all of her information but he himself wanted to keep going so he did.

He slowly began to move inside her up and down, liking the way her body squeezed around him making him feel pleasure he had never felt before. He only lasted about 2 minutes and felt his body tense up and he knew what was about to happen. He did not want to come inside of Tiffany because it just seemed wrong so he pulled out and rolled over on his side allowing himself some privacy as nature took its course. Tiffany just lay there only having felt pain and was nowhere near having an orgasm of her own. As Tony's body shook with pleasure Tiffany said, "I heard it was supposed to be a lot better then this." End of flashback...

Tony smiled as he remembered his first time and did not even realize that he was gently stroking himself. He knew he was damn lucky he did not get her pregnant and had never again been that foolish since that first time. He read Tiffany's email and she said she would love to see him. She invited him to a party in Georgetown the day after tomorrow. Tony emailed her back and told her he would be there, after all how hard would it be to get someone to drive him over there and back.

The next morning...

"This sucks, I'm only asking for a ride there, I'll worry about getting home later," Tony whined.

"Absolutely not, tomorrow is the bachelor party and bridal shower," Marie explained again to her son.

"I'm not even going to the bachelor party because I can't go inside the damn bar and don't think for one moment that I'm going to go to the bridal shower at grandma's," Tony stubbornly argued.

"Anthony you watch your language, I'm sorry but this is just the way it is, you either come with me to the shower or you can stay home alone. The only other option is I will give you some money so you can go to a movie if you like," Marie stood her ground waiting for her son's reply.

"Yippee! Sounds like a blast," Tony sarcastically replied.

Marie was getting annoyed at her son's attitude and said, "Your the one who had his drivers license revoked for under aged drinking and driving so if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at yourself young man."

Tony hated whenever the under age drinking topic came up and he secretly believed his mother was happy he could no longer drive. "Fine, I'll get a friend to drive me to the party," Tony reasoned.

"Anthony, you're not listening to me, I do not want you going to that party. I do not want any trouble this close to the wedding."

"This is so unfair; everyone gets to have fun but me."

"Anthony, I'm sorry, now this discussion is over," Marie left a very angry Tony pouting in the kitchen.

Tony hated being told he could not do something. One of the things he loved most about college was doing whatever he wanted. "This is bullshit," he said while slamming the backdoor that led to the garage. He kicked at the dirt as he stomped around the back yard and stopped when he saw a beautiful, yellow Dodge Charger parked on side of the garage. "Wow! She's beautiful," Tony said as he carefully ran his fingers over the hood. Just then, Gibbs came up behind him making him jump. "Man don't do that," Tony said holding his hand over his heart. Gibbs smiled and said, "I got her when I was about your age, my dad restored her for me while I was over seas with my unit.

Tony loved fast cars almost as much as he loved fast women. He walked around the car taking in all the angles just as he would a pretty girl. "She is sweet," Tony, said grinning at Gibbs. "Can I hear what she sounds like?" Sure Gibbs went inside to get the keys and came out to see Tony sitting in the driver's seat with his hands on the steering wheel. Gibbs looked at him, gave him the thumb, and said, "Out."

Tony rolled his eyes and climbed out. Gibbs glared at Tony after realizing the seat had been pushed back. Tony grinned saying, sorry my legs were too long the way you had it." Gibbs turned the key and the Charger came to life making both men smile like little kids. Gibb's was surprised when Tony began reciting all the car facts about the Dodge Charger and then Tony went on to tell Gibb's about his dream car, the 1967 Ford Mustang. Then went on to describe all the cars from the James Bond movies.

Gibb's had never heard someone talk so much in his life, he figured the kid would eventually tire himself out and stop but when that didn't happen Gibb's had to think quick on his feet. He looked at his watch and said; "Got to go get a haircut before the bachelor party tomorrow, looks like you could use one too," Gibbs teased Tony.

Tony ran his hand through his shaggy hair, "I like my hair like this and so do the ladies," Tony gave Gibbs another big grin. Gibbs thought the kid had a nice smile and probably had his pick of the women on campus. "Come on, let's get inside and see what your mother is up too," Gibbs said slapping Tony on the back. Tony mumbled, "She's probably trying to find more ways to make my life miserable." Gibbs smiled because he had heard Tony's fight with his mom earlier and knew what the young man was upset about. They both walked into the kitchen, Tony watched as Gibbs dropped the car keys in the kitchen drawer and went to pour himself a cup of coffee. Tony said he was going to his room and Gibbs just nodded.

The rest of the day passed without further incident and Tony was getting frustrated that none of his old high school buddies were available to take him to the party in Georgetown. He knew his mother had forbidden him to go to the party but he thought, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." He threw his cell phone on the bed after the last rejection and decided to just call it a night.

Several hours later, he would awake from another terrifying nightmare showing his father getting burned alive trying to free himself from the debris of the collapsed building. "Noooooo!" He screamed in a voice filled with such pain and sadness. His mother rushed into his room and saw her son gasping for air and breathing heavily. She sat next to him cradling his head on her shoulder as he sobbed, "Mom, when will the nightmares stop?"

The next day the house was abuzz with activity, the women were baking for the bridal shower and the men were sitting in the living room watching TV eating pizza and drinking beer. Tony was sipping his Dr. Pepper and finishing his fifth slice of sausage, pepperoni and cheese pizza when he decided to see if anyone would notice him drinking a beer instead.

He went to the kitchen and was greeted by his mom with a kiss; she was relieved that her son always bounced back so quickly after one of his nightmares. Making sure no one was looking; Tony took a beer from the refrigerator and made his way back to the living room. He sat down in his chair and reached for another slice of his favorite pizza and then opened his beer and just as he was about to take a sip he felt all the eyes in the room on him at once. "What in the hell do you think your doing?" Michael asked. Tony tried to play it cool, "I always have a beer with my pizza." Michael got up and took the beer from a shocked Tony and Frank started teasing getting right in Tony's face, "I think he's going to cry because somebody took his beer away."

"Shut up asshole," Tony said to his brother.

Frank pretended to be hurt and said, "Profanity is the sign of a shallow mind and besides too much alcohol makes the equipment malfunction." He grabbed Tony's crotch to emphasize what he was talking about.

"Get your hands off me you perv," Tony said slapping Franks hand away.

Marie came in after hearing the commotion and found Frank on top of Tony and the two were wrestling, Frank telling his younger brother to say Uncle and Tony refusing.

"That's enough, both of you," Marie said as she looked around to see Jethro, Michael and Nicole's husband laughing.

"Were leaving for the shower now and you guys better get a move on too and Anthony, I left you $20.00 on the kitchen sink in case you decide to go to a movie. Have fun Jethro and behave yourself at the bachelor party", she said winking at her lover.

The women left for the shower and the guys called a cab to drive them to the bar where the bachelor party was being held. It was going to be a big turnout with lots of Marines and NCIS employees attending. "Tony sat alone on the couch thinking, "The guy actually has friends, who would have thought?"

Tony went into the kitchen and saw his money on the sink, he sighed wondering what he was going to do while everyone else was having fun. He looked down and suddenly he had an idea. He opened the drawer where he saw Gibbs drop the Charger keys earlier; he reached in and pulled them out. "I could be back before anyone even knows I've gone."


	9. Chapter 9

The drive from Baltimore to Georgetown takes roughly 45 minutes or so depending on traffic. Tony made good time and figured he would have about two hours' tops to have fun at the party and be home before the bachelor and bridal parties were over. He parked the car down the street from the house in an area that looked safe enough. He arrived at the party and immediately sought out Tiffany. When she saw him she screamed, "Tony, you made it!" The two had remained close over the years and got together whenever they could. Although, they kept each other updated via email on how each other were doing, they had not actually seen each other in person for more then a year. Tiffany stood on her toes and planted a kiss on Tony's cheek. She took a step back to admire the full view, "I swear you get better looking every time I see you." Tony checked Tiffany out as well and said, "I can say the same thing about you."

Tiffany introduced Tony around to her friends at the party and they both had a fun time together. Tony was a natural at parties, with his charm and personality he always drew people to him. Everyone wanted to be around him and Tony of course loved being the center of attention. He was on his best behavior and decided he was not going to drink since he was driving Gibb's car. Instead, he was going to just enjoy the lovely Tiffany's company and maybe have a little one on one time with her before he had to go.

The sexual attraction they felt towards each other was very strong and soon they found they wanted to be alone away from the party. They were sitting on the couch kissing and Tony whispered into Tiffany's ear, "Do you want to go some place a little more private?"

Tiffany said, "I know a great place and you can drive me home afterwards." Tiffany told her friends that brought her to the party that Tony would be taking her home, so after saying their goodbyes, they made their way to the car and Tiffany directed him to one of the local make out areas. Before they arrived, Tony made sure to stop at a local drug store for a few supplies they would need before they went any further.

The car windows were all steamy and inside you could hear the grunts and groans as they made love atop a hill that over looked the Nations Capital. Tony had never made love inside a car before and found it a bit restrictive but sex was sex and he figured he could probably make out just about anywhere and enjoy it all the same.

Neither one of them heard the car pull up behind them and the windows were so steamed up they did not see the two patrolmen standing right outside the car window with their flashlights aimed inside the vehicle trying to get a look at what they already knew was going on. It was not until Tony heard the knock on the window that he realized someone else was there.

He heard a voice from outside saying, "Roll the window down and keep your hands where I can see them." Tony froze and said, "Shit!" He quickly got off Tiffany and pulled his pants up best he could and Tiffany did her best to cover herself before Tony obeyed the command.

Tony rolled the car window down and squinted as the officer shined the flashlight right in his eyes. "Is there a problem officer?" Tony asked using his best innocent voice. The officer shined his light down at Tony's pants which were still unzipped and then at the torn condom wrapper on the back seat. He next directed it at Tiffany who was doing her best to cover herself. The officer looked at his partner standing near the rear of the car and smiled. "I'll give you both a minute to get your clothes back on and then I want you both out of the car."

The officer who had been at the rear of the car said, "I'll run the plate and if everything comes back okay lets just give them a warning and send them on their way."

"Sound's good to me", the other officer replied.

Tony and Tiffany got out of the car and slowly made their way over to the police officers. Tony felt his heart skip a beat when he heard one of the officers say, "I'll need to see your license and registration." Tony's mind started to race trying to think of something to say to get them out of this mess. His first thought was to make a run for it but he quickly realized that was a bad idea.

"Um, I uh, seem to have left my ID at home," Tony nervously said.

The officer turned to his partner, "Kid's got no ID, what did you get back on the plates?"

"It came back registered in Georgetown to a Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Tiffany looked up and said, "Tony I thought you said this was your car?"

The officer looked at Tony and said, "Then I take it your not Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"

Tony let out a sigh and said, "No sir, my name is Anthony DiNozzo and the car belongs to my soon to be step father."

The other officer ran Tony's name and they soon realized Anthony DiNozzo had a suspended driver's license and they had no choice but to have the vehicle impounded and Tony and Tiffany were brought into the police station. Their story had to be verified to make sure the two had not stolen the vehicle.

Once the phone call was made to Tony's mom, she immediately called Gibbs and told him what had happened. Gibbs then had to call the police station and let them know that the car was taken without his permission but he would not be pressing charges against his soon to be stepson. Tiffany was free to leave but Tony was issued a citation and told to wait and that someone was coming to take him home.

Tony sat on one of the benches inside the precinct waiting for his ride to arrive. He had never been more scared in his life and knew that this time he had really messed up. When he saw his mom enter the building, he briefly was relieved that it was her and not Gibbs, that was until he saw the look on her face.

He immediately looked down suddenly finding his shoes very interesting. His mother walked up to him and said, "Get in the car and do not open your mouth. I hope your satisfied, you managed to ruin my bridal shower and Jethro's bachelor party, I hope your real proud of yourself?" When he thought it could get no worse she added, "I am ashamed of you Anthony."

Those final words hurt the most. He followed her to the car fighting to keep the tears back. Hearing those words from his mother hurt more then if she had slapped him. He loved his family, especially his mom and her opinion of him did matter, in fact it mattered a great deal. The last thing he wanted to do was make her ashamed of him and now she could not even look him in the eye. He wondered how things got so messed up in his head and why it was always so easy for him to do what he knew was wrong. He silently hoped for his mother to tell him what a terrible person he was so he could agree with her and ease some of the guilt he was now feeling. Instead, her continued silence only made him feel worse.

They arrived home and Marie walked into the kitchen followed by a dejected looking Tony. Gibbs had been sitting at the kitchen table after leaving his bachelor party early after the phone call from DC Metro. He slowly got up and started to speak.

"You know your a real piece of work, you have a family that loves you and how do you repay them? You throw it back in their faces by acting like a spoiled brat! From what I have seen you have little if no regard for anyone but yourself." He slowly stalked towards Tony who instinctively hid behind his mother keeping her as a protective barrier between him and the man who looked like he was about to attack at any moment. Gibbs made a lunge and tried to grab a hold of Tony but he quickly maneuvered his mothers shoulders to block the angry mans advances.

Marie finally spoke up from her position between the two men, "Jethro please this is not going to solve anything."

Gibb's continued to try to get at Tony, "Yeah well I think your boy here needs to be taught a lesson in respecting other peoples property."

Tony looked at Jethro wide eyed, "If you lay a hand on me I swear I will file assault charges."

Jethro looked into Marie's pleading eyes and took a step back. He wanted nothing more then to shake some sense into the kid but he knew that it was wrong. He sat down at the table and Marie motioned for Tony to do the same. Gibb's looked right into Tony's eyes and asked, "Why would you take my car without permission, without a valid driver's license and go to a party your mother asked you not to attend?"

Tony looked down tracing an invisible pattern on the table with his fingers and just shrugged, "I don't know."

Gibbs continued to push, "Oh come on you can do better then that, why do you think rules don't apply to you?"

Tony's eyes shot up, "I don't think that".

"Well your actions seem to indicate other wise," Gibb's said as he tried to get his anger under control.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair; He looked from Gibb's then back to his mother trying to come up with a plausible explanation. "I guess I just don't like to be told I can't do something. It only makes me want it more and I can't stop myself."

Gibbs looked at Tony, "And you don't care who you hurt along the way?"

Tony looked down again, "I never purposely set out to hurt anyone, it sometimes just happens."

Gibbs was not buying it. He knew from years of experience in interrogating witnesses and suspects that the young man sitting across from him was holding back. In the very short time he had been around Tony, he had seen how the young man worked and manipulated everyone around him.

Gibbs continued to push him, "Oh come on Tony, you know you think your smarter then everyone else, why is that?

Tony just shrugged, trying his best to not make eye contact with anyone.

Gibbs spoke a little louder, trying to get Tony to look at him saying, "Do you want to know what I think?

Tony trying to muster as much bravado as he could answered, "No, not really."

Gibbs could almost see the invisible walls the young man was hiding behind slowly begin to come apart. He knew it was time to go in for the kill.

"Is it because you're used to everyone telling you how great you are, how good looking you are, how perfect you are?"

Tony had so many thoughts running through his head, he was not sure of anything at the moment. He could only answer, "I don't know."

Gibbs kept at him, "Come on smart guy, you know you can do better then that."

Tony pounded his fists on the table and let everything that he tried to hide come pouring out. "It's everything okay, are you happy? I hate all the pressure, my schoolwork, football practice, the girls that let me treat them like shit and come back for more just because I am on the fucking football team. I hate it, I hate everything, I hate terrorists, Bin Laden, Muslims, I hate God for letting everything happen. I hate all of them. I hate that you are here instead of my dad and I hate myself for hating everything. "

By this time, Tony was crying uncontrollably and not making much since. "I tried to hate you; it was easier when I hated you. "

He looked up at Gibbs. "Why couldn't you just let me hate you? Why did you have to be nice to me? "

Marie had heard enough, she pulled Tony into a hug and tried to calm him down. She had only seen him break down like this a few times. Once when he was told his father had been killed, then again at the funeral when he was just eleven years old. To see her grown son, who was now a young man crying like a child was heartbreaking. Yes, she knew he still experienced the nightmares, but this was different. This was pure raw emotion that he so desperately tried to keep hidden from the world that was now out for all to see and she was helpless to take his pain away. She did the only thing she could and that was hold her son in her arms and tell him, it would be okay.

Gibbs waited until Tony had his emotions under control then reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Tony gave a quick laugh and tried to joke his way out of the uncomfortable situation by saying, "Yeah, just a momentary complete mental break down but I'm good now. Sorry for making a complete ass out of myself."

Gibb's lightly smacked Tony on the back of the head and said, "Hey, never apologize, it's a sign of weakness." Gibbs then ruffled Tony's hair and said, "I only pushed you because I knew it would be the only way to get you to open up. "

Tony wiped the back of his hand over his eyes saying, "How could you tell?"

Gibbs gently squeezed the back of Tony's neck saying, "It's what I do for a living."

Tony looked at Gibb's and from the heart said, "I am so sorry for taking your car and ruining everyone's night. Your friends must think I am a complete loser. I will understand if you don't want me at the wedding tomorrow." Gibb's smiled at Tony and said, "Your mother and I both need and want you there. Were family and families stick together no matter what. "

Marie reached out and held Tony's hands in her own, "Were going to get you some help, you need to talk with a professional to work out these anger issues and destructive behaviors, my God I am so sorry sweetie, I had no idea things were this bad, why did you try and hide it all for so long?"

Tony didn't really have an answer to his mothers question. He thought about it for a moment then said, "I guess I didn't want anyone to worry about me. I kind of figured out ways to relieve the pressure when things got bad. Mostly it was lots of partying and sex."

Marie had to ask, "Do you have a drinking problem or drug addiction?"

Tony answered honestly, "No mom, I had to have some restraint, I think being on the football team helped me to not party too much. I would have been kicked off the team long ago if drinking and drugs were a big problem."

"Thank God for football then." Marie said.

Tony looked at his mom and Gibbs. He promised to follow through with counseling, to work out his anger issues and promised to come to either of them or any family member when he needed to talk. He looked at the clock on the wall and stretched saying, "Look at the time, I think I will go up to bed, this has been a long night." He thought for a brief moment that he just might be lucky and get off with just a warning, but then his mother grabbed his arm and sat him back down at the table.

Marie began speaking, "I'm glad we had this talk but you're still going to be punished for all the trouble you have caused. "

Tony smiled, "Yeah, I know, I didn't think I was going to get away without some sort of punishment."

"For the remainder of your visit you will not leave the house unless it is with a member of the family. There will be no talking on the phone with friends and no computer or video games. You will work at the restaurant to pay for the impound fee of Jethro's car and you will do what your told, when your told to do it, is that clear young man?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah mom, not a problem."

Marie looked at Jethro and asked him if he wanted to add anything else. Jethro looked at Tony and said, "No, I think we have his attention now and I believe he's man enough to do the right thing."

Tony sat up a little taller in his chair and said, "Yes sir I am." He reached his hand across the table and with one of his famous grins he said, "You better be good to my mom, I have lot's of friends on the starting offensive line that will be paying you a visit if your not. "

Jethro shook his hand and knew that this was the beginning of something they could now both build on.

Authors note: Thanks everyone for the reviews. Next up will be the wedding and the rest of Tony's visit before he heads back to OSU for his sophomore year and the 2009 football season.


	10. Chapter 10

The big day had finally arrived. Gibbs was alone at his house in Georgetown. After returning home the night before he decided to work on his boat for a few hours and had not planned to fall asleep in the basement. He woke up and through tired eyes looked at his watch and realized he was going to be late for his own wedding if he did not hurry.

He made his way upstairs and put on a pot of coffee when Ducky suddenly appeared in his kitchen. "Good morning Jethro, never fear my friend, the best man has arrived to make sure you get to the church on time."

Jethro smiled at his oldest and dearest friend and knew that Ducky would have everything in order to make sure the groom was ready at the appointed time. Ducky sat down at the table with Jethro, "So how did it go last night after your sudden departure from the bachelor party?"

Jethro looked at Ducky and said, "I think it went well Duck, I mean at first all I wanted to do was get my hands on him, I'm not proud of myself when I think what I may have done had his mother not been there."

"Don't be so hard on yourself Jethro; dealing with someone of Anthony's age can be very difficult when it comes to parental discipline. I take it you and the boy's mother handled the situation in a less violent way?"

"Yeah Duck, he's under house arrest for the remainder of his visit. It seems there was a lot more going on then what the family had realized."

Ducky looked concerned, "May I ask what the problems are?"

Gibb's thought back to the night before and relayed the story to Ducky.

Ducky listened to what his friend had to say and agreed that the young man did indeed need counseling. "I hope you and Marie follow up with his school and coaches and make sure he completes whatever course of therapy his doctor will recommend."

Gibb's nodded saying, "His family loves him, and they will make sure he gets all the help he needs."

Ducky smiled and said, "Whether he admits it or not, he's going to need your support as well Jethro."

"Yeah Duck, I know and I plan to be there for him if and when he needs me."

It was a beautiful summer day in Baltimore as guests began to arrive at the church. The bride and groom had each arrived separately and were nervously preparing in their respective changing rooms. The men were wearing gray tuxedos with white shirts and bow ties and the bridal party dressed in pale pink gowns. The bride wore a gown that was Ivory in color and was just perfect for a woman of her age getting married for the second time. She still had her bridal gown from her first marriage put safely away in storage. Her oldest daughter Nicole had been married in that gown and she hoped that when her younger daughter decided to marry that she would want to wear the gown as well. Marie sat at her dressing table putting the final touches on her makeup and wondered how Jethro was holding up.

The piano player waited for the start sign and began playing the music Jethro and Marie had chosen for the procession, it was "Morning has broken" and with the start of the music the wedding had begun. The priest led the way followed by the groom, best man and groomsmen on the right and on the left walked the maid of honor and bridesmaids. They all took their positions on the steps of the alter and waited for the bride.

The wedding march began and everyone smiled as Michael's two children came down the aisle as the flower girl and ring bearer, followed by the bride escorted by her father. When Marie's father gave his daughters hand to Jethro he went to take his seat in one of the four pews reserved for the brides immediate family.

On the grooms side Jethro's father Jackson Gibbs sat proudly in the front row next to members of Jethro's team. Although, Jethro only needed one pew for his immediate family, McGee, Kate, Ziva and Abby were honored that Jethro had requested them to be sat in the front pew that was reserved for the groom's family. Behind them sat other co-workers, friends from various agencies and fellow Marines that Jethro considered his closest friends.

The wedding was traditional yet simple. Kate, Ziva and Abby cried causing Tony to look behind him at the three crying women wondering who they were. He made eye contact with Kate and grinned and she could tell he was totally checking her out. Frank noticed it too and poked his brother in the arm getting him to turn back around.

After vows were exchanged and the bride and groom kissed as the newly proclaimed Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs it was time for the wedding photo's to be taken before they could leave for the reception where most of the people in attendance were already headed. Gibbs had asked his team to stay behind because he wanted them in some of the wedding pictures as well. His team had met Marie on several occasions so Jethro just needed to introduce her children and other members of his wife's family, which seemed to take a lot of time. There were grandparents, aunt's, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and of course Marie's children. Marie stood by Jethro's side and helped him with some of the names he could not remember.

Tony was getting bored with all the pictures being taken and he could not understand why they needed so many. If he had to smile while shaking another hand in a forced pose one more time he was going to scream. He once again spotted the three girls he had seen crying at the wedding and thought he would go over and say hello. He did have a quick introduction by Gibb's earlier, so at least now he knew their names.

He looked from where he was standing and once again, his gaze fell upon Kate. Ziva watched what was going on and told Kate, "That boy is starring at you again."

Kate took a quick glance and said, "I know."

Abby smiled and said to her two friends, "I think he was the one that stole Gibbs' car."

Ziva looked over at Tony, "I am surprised that he looks as well as he does after pulling such a stunt."

Abby took another look at Tony and said, "Your right about one thing Ziva, he does look well," Abby said raising her eyebrows at Ziva and Kate. The women laughed like schoolgirls as they all three looked at Tony making him wonder what they were talking about.

Kate looked at Abby and said, he's cute but too young for my taste, I like the other brother Gibb's introduced me to, I think his name is Frank, now that's a man I wouldn't mind getting to know better."

Marie came up behind Tony and saw him starring at the group of women. "Sweetie, it's time to go to the reception now and I just wanted to remind you to please behave yourself tonight. I want you to have fun but please no drinking anything stronger then soft drinks or punch and do not do anything more then dance with any girls you might meet.

"Jeez mom, what do you think I'm going to do?"

Marie just starred at her son and kissed him on the forehead saying, "Just behave yourself Anthony."

The reception was fun for all with great food, music and dancing. Tony flirted with Kate, Ziva and Abby and danced with each of them multiple times. He got a little too familiar during a dance with Ziva and she bent his hand back causing him to scream out in pain and fall to his knee's right on the dance floor causing everyone to stare at him. Ziva pulled him up and continued dancing like nothing had happened. Tony kept his hands to himself the rest of the night.

By the time the reception was over, Kate and Frank had exchanged phone numbers and Gibbs and Marie had left for their wedding night at the Four Seasons Hotel. Everyone agreed to meet the next morning at the families Restaurant for breakfast.

Michael was having Tony spend the night at his house so he could sit his brother down and have a long talk with him. He wanted to make sure that Tony knew he could always come to him when the pressures of school, football or just life in general got to be too much. Tony was sure that before he had to be back at school, he was going to have this same discussion with his grandparents, Frank and his sisters. He took great comfort in knowing that his family loved him unconditionally.


	11. Chapter 11

Marie and Jethro made their way to the families restaurant after spending their wedding night at the Four Seasons. They held hands as Jethro drove and talked about what they would do today.

"My car should be towed back to the house sometime today," Jethro said to Marie.

"I was thinking that maybe I should have Tony wash her, inside and out for me as part of his punishment, what do you think?" "I think thats a great idea Jethro, if there is one thing I have learned about Tony, it is to keep his idle hands busy."

Marie continued, "Do you know how much the impound and towing fees are yet? I need to figure out how many hours Tony will need to work at the restaurant to pay you back."

Jethro said, "The total will be just a little over $300.00 and that includes the impound and towing."

Marie thought for a moment and then said, "If I have him work five hours a day for 6 days that should cover the fine." Jethro looked over to Marie, "He should be able to handle that."

Marie nodded and said, "Jethro I was hoping that you and Tony would still do some of the things you two talked about before he took your car without permission, I think he was very excited about going to the NCIS shooting range and taking the tour at the Navy Yard."

Jethro smiled at Marie, "Already have us booked on the range at noon tomorrow and I need to check with Michael and Frank and see when they are available to take the tour."

They arrived at the restaurant and made their way inside and saw the family sitting at several tables that were pushed together. Marie went around the table planting kisses on the top of heads and realized Tony was not there.

"Where is your brother?" She asked to no one imparticular. Frank smiled and pointed to the entry way that leads to the kitchen. Marie looked over and saw Tony leaning against the wall chatting with several of the young waitresses. She sighed and said, "Great, he's going to be distracting all of my female staff if he works here."

She walked over to Tony and said, "The girls have customers to take care of." The young waitresses quickly went back to their jobs and Marie stopped Tony as he started to head back to the table. "Your going to be working here for five hour shifts for 6 days. During that time you are not to distract these girls from their work, is that understood?"

Tony smiled at his mom, "Yeah, sure mom no problem." Marie had learned over the years that what Tony says is often not what Tony does and she knew she would have to keep an eye on him at work.

The restaurant was very busy as it was every morning so Marie had scheduled extra help to allow the family the day off. They were enjoying being waited on for a change. It took two waitresses to wait on the large group and everyone noticed that Tony received exceptional service from both of the girls assigned to the family table. Frank was getting a little annoyed as he sat starring at his empty juice glass while the girls seemed to fight over who was going to bring Tony his next refill. Tony just smiled at Frank while he picked up his fresh glass of juice and took a big sip.

After breakfast was finished the family departed on their separate ways to enjoy a much needed day off, Jethro Marie and Tony headed home together and when they arrived they saw that Jethro's car had already been delivered and was parked in front of the house.

Jethro walked around his beloved car and checked her out making sure that Tony had not caused any damage. Once satisfied he walked back inside the house and saw Tony sprawled out on the couch reading his latest issue of GSM magazine. Jethro smacked his feet from the arm of the couch and said, "Feet off the furniture."

Tony grunted and said, "What are you my mother now?"

Jethro only grinned and said, "I have a job for you to do."

Tony continued reading his magazine and not looking up said, "Sorry, I'm a little busy here."

Jethro reached over and grabbed the magazine from Tony's hands and softly said, "Let me rephrase that." Then he yelled, "Get your ass off the couch and meet me out in the garage, now!"

Tony pressed himself down into the couch cushions as far as he could trying to put as much distance between him and the angry Marine. He slowly got up and headed to the garage trying to think of what he might have done to be in trouble this early in the day.

Jethro had pulled the Charger back to it's proper place on side of the garage and was waiting for Tony to join him. Tony looked down at Jethro's feet and saw the empty buckets and sponges.

"What, you want me to help you wash your car or something?" Tony asked.

"Nope, your going to wash the car inside and out and I want it done right." Gibb's continued, "I don't want to know what you were doing in my car so any evidence better be gone by the time I get back." Gibbs then reached into the back seat of his car and pulled out an opened box of condoms. Glarring at the young man, he tossed them at Tony who caught the box like he would a football.

Tony blushed and with a slight grin on his face looked at Gibbs, "I guess you didn't read the police report then?"

Gibbs just turned and walked back to the house, he made sure Tony would not be able to see the grin on his own face.

Tony looked at the buckets and then at the car, it was already getting hot out so he decided to go upstairs and put on a pair of shorts and grab his IPOD. A few minutes later he was back in skater shorts and not wearing a shirt. He put his IPOD in his pocket and pulled up one of his favorite playlists and got to work on the car.

He filled the buckets with soapy water and began with the exterior of the car. He danced to his music as he washed, rinsed and dried the car until it sparkled. Then he made his way to the inside of the car and immediately remembered his night with Tiffany. He laughed out loud as he thought about how hot the sex had been in the car that night. He really should try and call her and make sure she's okay after the ordeal at the police station. He thought that maybe his mom would give him his cell phone back just so he could check on her, he made a mental note to ask his mother when he was finished.

Tony was just finishing up when he saw Gibbs standing next to the car. "Not bad DiNozzo, not bad at all," Gibbs said as he admired Tony's work.

Tony looked back at Gibbs and said, "Thanks, can I go now?"

Gibbs nodded yes and Tony began to walk away but he stopped. Without turning around to face Gibbs he said, "I really like your car and I am sorry I took her without asking."

Gibbs looked at Tony's retreating back and said, "I know you are and as far as I am concerned the matter is closed."

Tony turned to look at Gibbs, he smiled and said "Cool!" and continued on into the house.

The rest of the day was long and boring for Tony, he wandered around the house and the yard trying to entertain himself. He missed his cell phone, computer and t.v. His mom did allow him to call Tiffany and make sure she was okay but made sure he kept the conversation short and when he was done she held her hand out waiting for her son to return his phone to her.

It was now almost evening and Tony sat in the living room waiting for his mom to put dinner on the table. Jethro sat in his chair reading the newspaper and he looked over to Tony when he heard the young man sigh. Jethro looked over the top of his paper and saw how miserable a bored Tony could be. He heard another louder sigh and realized Tony wanted his attention. He folded his paper on his lap and asked, "Something on your mind?"

Tony just sighed again and said, "There's nothing to do around here. I don't think I'm gonna make it the next few weeks not being able to go anywhere or do anything."

Gibbs looked at the young man and almost felt sorry for him. Tony continued, "Can't you just put the t.v. on, we can even watch something boring that you would like?"

Gibbs answered, "I Don't watch television."

Tony looked at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean you don't watch television? Everyone watches television."

Gibbs just gave Tony one of his famous glares then said, "Not me."

Tony then asked with a big smile on his face, "So what do you do besides get remarried every few years?" Tony saw the glare on Gibbs face intensify. "I'm joking Gibbs, it was a joke, man don't you have a sense of humor?"

Gibbs answered, "Yeah I have a sense of humor when someone says something funny."

Tony continued to smile at Gibbs and said, "Well my humor is not for everyone at least that's what I've been told."

Marie called the guys to the dinner table and they sat down to a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, corn and dinner rolls. Tony just loved his mom's cooking. As the three sat and enjoyed the meal Tony suddenly stopped and asked, "Hey why aren't you two on a honeymoon or something?" He looked across the table to Gibbs and said in a serious tone, "I guess the fifth time around it must be hard to plan that special little getaway." Tony grinned as he took his next bite of mashed potatoes.

Marie looked at her son in shock and could not believe he had just said that. "Anthony, that is not funny," she said as she saw her son trying to hold back his laughter.

Gibbs raised his hand to Marie to stop her, "It's okay Marie it's not the first joke he has made about the subject and I have a feeling there are plenty more where that came from."

Marie looked between the two and noticed Jethro did not seem upset at being the target of Tony's jokes so she let it go. Marie then told Tony, "Jethro and I put off our honeymoon until you go back to school, I know I won't see you again until Fall and I wanted to be with you while your on your Summer break." She then added, "Although, sometimes I don't know why." Tony starred open mouthed at his mother. "Ouch mom that really hurt."

Marie smiled at her son, "What, you don't think I have a sense of humor too?"

Tony and Jethro both laughed while Marie smiled at her two men.

After dinner Jethro asked Tony if he wanted to go to the NCIS firing range in the morning and Tony of course said yes. He really wanted to learn how to shoot and went to bed excited that night. Before he fell asleep he layed in bed wondering what it would be like to be a Special Agent like Gibbs was. He could see himself dressed in a designer suit and carrying a gun chasing down criminals and having beautiful women hanging off of both arms. "Yeah just like James Bond," he said aloud before drifting off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning Marie was in the kitchen fixing breakfast while Jethro sat at the kitchen table having his first cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. They knew Tony was up because they could hear the loud music coming from the stereo in his bedroom. Jethro looked up towards the ceiling and saw the light fixture shaking and wondered why young people had to play their music so loud. He thought that both Abby and Tony likely suffered from some level of hearing loss based on how loud they seemed to like their music.

Marie was just about to tell Jethro to call Tony to breakfast when the music suddenly stopped and a few seconds later Tony entered the kitchen freshly showered and ready for breakfast. "Mmmm! Bacon," Tony said as he grabbed a slice off the serving plate before Marie could put it on the table.

Tony kissed his mother on the cheek and said, "Good morning mom," and he quickly took his place at the table when he saw they were going to have biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon and fresh fruit. He reached for the pitcher of juice and poured himself a glass and drank it down without stopping to breathe, then he poured himself another.

Marie asked Tony, "Sweetie would you like milk with your breakfast?"

"Yes please," was Tony's response.

Marie brought Tony a large glass of milk and then poured Jethro another cup of coffee. She sat down at the table making sure Jethro and Tony had everything they needed before she would have anything for herself. She was old fashioned and really enjoyed taking care of her family.

"So what time are you two heading out to the gun range today," Marie asked.

Jethro said, "We need to be there at noon, then I was thinking that maybe we would go to lunch once we finish." Jethro looked at Tony practically inhaling his breakfast and already filling his plate a second time. "That is providing someone still has an appetite come lunch time."

Tony smiled and said, "Don't worry this will only hold me for three to four hours, come lunch time I'll be ready to refuel."

They finished breakfast and Tony helped his mom clear the dishes without being asked. Marie thought that Tony could be so sweet at times. He really was a good boy inspite of all the trouble he got himself into.

A short while later Gibbs and Tony were ready to leave. Marie was outside working in her garden when she saw the two walking out. She got up and dusted off her hands. "Now you listen to what Jethro tells you and please be careful," Marie told Tony as he got into Jethro's car.

"I will mom," Tony said.

Marie and Jethro hugged, then kissed. "You two have a nice time and don't you let anything happen to my baby."

Jethro kissed Marie again and said, "We will be home around 5pm, if were going to be late, I'll call you."

Jethro started the car and immediately Tony reached for the radio and turned it on cranking up the volume. Marie then saw Jethro reach up and smack Tony in the back of the head and the music went silent. She smiled, shaking her head as she went back to her tomato plants.

Jethro and Tony arrived at the NCIS firing range and made their way to one of the empty lanes. Gibbs opened up the bag he had brought with him and pulled out two different weapons and layed them on the table. He then pulled out the cartridges and all the safety gear. As soon as Tony saw the guns he immediately reached for one but Gibb's stopped him.

"Hey, did I say you could touch that?"

"Sorry," Tony said as he quickly pulled his hand back.

"Rule number 39, never handle a weapon until you have learned how to do so properly," Gibbs said to Tony.

Tony looked curiously at Gibbs and wondered how many rules there were and hoped he was not going to have to learn them all today before Gibbs would let him shoot.

Gibbs went over all the details about the two guns he had brought with him. He showed Tony how to disengage the safety, how to load the revolver, how to insert the clip in the automatic and most important how to hold a loaded weapon.

Tony took everything in that Gibbs had taught him and said, "Okay I think I got it."

Gibbs decided to test Tony and see how much he remembered. "Okay Tony, I want you to pick up the revolver and take your position at the firing line."

Tony did as he was told but Gibbs stopped him. "Put it down, you just failed."

Tony's mouth dropped open, "What did I do, I did exactly what you told me?"

Gibb's reminded Tony again, "The first thing you do when you pick up a gun is to check and see if it's loaded."

Tony looked confused at Gibb's. "But I already knew it was unloaded."

"It doesn't matter, you check every time."

Tony rolled his eyes and let out a breath then again went to pick up the gun and in a sarcastic voice he said, "Okay, I'm picking the gun up and I'm checking to see if it's loaded. Oh would you look at that, it's still empty, how surprising."

Gibbs looked at Tony and said, "We can stop right now if your going to be a smart ass."

Tony dropped his head and mumbled, "Sorry."

Tony once again picked up the gun and this time did exactly as he was told so Gibbs allowed him to proceed to the firing line. "Okay Tony, I want you to aim the gun at the target."

Tony did as he was told and Gibbs studied his student. "Okay were going to make some adjustments."

Gibbs got behind Tony and was helping him adjust his hips and shoulders. Tony being Tony, could not resist and blurted out, "Hey watch the hands, I think you should at least buy me lunch first." Tony barely finished the sentence before feeling the smack to the back of the head.

"Sorry Gibbs, okay I'm focusing now," Tony said as he allowed Gibbs to continue.

Gibbs showed Tony the proper way to stand and grip the gun, he showed him that you never put your finger on the trigger until your ready to shoot. He made Tony bring the gun down to his side and then assume the firing position several times until Tony was doing it perfectly on his own. Once Gibbs was satisfied with Tony's progress he said, "Okay lets fire some live rounds."

"Finally," Tony said excitedly.

Gibbs watched as Tony loaded the cartridges into the gun and snapped it shut. Gibbs handed Tony a set of ear plugs, ear muffs and goggles. Tony put on the safety gear and stepped up to the firing line.

Gibb's watched as Tony brought the gun up to the firing position, "Finger off the trigger," Gibbs reminded Tony.

Tony quickly removed his finger from the trigger.

Gibbs noticed that Tony was shaking a little and told him to breath easy and relax and to fire whenever he was ready.

Tony swallowed deeply and pulled the trigger six times emptying the gun into the target.

Gibbs noticed that Tony had his eyes shut the whole time, a common occurrence for first time shooters.

Gibbs made sure Tony layed the gun down on the table before they walked out to check the target.

Tony had one shot that hit the targets lower stomach area, one shot on the right leg, two shots were on the white part of the targets paper missing the body completely and two shots were unaccounted for meaning he missed the target completely. Gibbs looked at Tony and said, "Not bad for your first time and considering you had your eye's closed, I'd say that was a good first effort."

"I did not have my eyes closed," Tony defended himself.

Gibbs just starred at Tony and said, "Lets set it up and do it again."

"Did I really have my eyes closed?" Tony asked Gibbs as they walked back to the firing line.

"Uh huh", Gibbs said. "Probie mistake, don't worry about it". Gibbs had to spend the next five minutes explaining to Tony what a "Probie" was.

Gibbs set up another target and they continued this over and over again until Tony was beginning to group his shots and Gibbs was impressed with how well Tony did once he listened to his instructions. Tony learned how to shoot both guns and preferred the automatic because he liked the feel of the rapid fire. Gibbs even showed him how to tactical reload and was impressed at the speed in which Tony learned this new skill.

When Tony asked to see how Gibb's could do he stood in awe as the target revealed all head shots. Tony's reply was, "That's awesome!" Gibbs smiled and he would never admit it to anyone, but it felt good to have Tony think his shooting was as Tony put it, awesome!

They finally called it an afternoon and made their way to one of Gibbs' favorite diners and each had a burger, fries and milkshake. Tony wanted to hear about Gibbs Sniper days when he was a Marine and was fascinated by all the interesting stories Gibb's had to tell. Gibb's was surprised with what Tony said next.

"My dad was in Naval Intelligence and worked at the Pentagon, he wasn't allowed to tell us much about his work but I bet he did a lot of cool things just like you."

Gibb's looked at Tony who suddenly seemed much younger, "I don't doubt that one bit Tony."


	13. Chapter 13

Marie and Jethro were cuddling in their bed after making love and Jethro was telling Marie about his day with Tony. "The kid is a pretty good shot, I mean for his first time he did better then I expected."

Marie cuddled closer to Jethro, "Tony has always been good at whatever he sets his mind to."

"He said something to me at lunch today that I was not expecting," Jethro said to Marie as they continued to cuddle.

Marie looked into Jethro's eyes, "What did he say?"

"I remember how you told me awhile back that Tony very rarely speaks of his father, well today at lunch he briefly mentioned that his father worked at the Pentagon and was in Naval Intelligence. I kinda had the feeling he didn't really want to say anything more so I let it pass."

Marie sat up looking surprised at Jethro, "Really?"

Jethro rolled on to his side resting on his elbow facing Marie, "Yeah, I was telling him stories about my Marine Sniper missions and that's when he told me about his dad, I think he wanted me to know that his dad was every bit the man that I am."

Marie smiled at Jethro, "You did what countless child psychologists and therapists had failed to do. You got him to say something about his father."

Jethro looked surprised at the revelation.

Marie cuddled closer to Jethro before speaking again, "Tony was in therapy for years after his father was killed and he never opened up to any of them. He was eleven when I first brought him to a child psychologist. By the time he was almost twelve, he refused to continue. I tried everything to get him to continue but he has always kept his feelings well hidden and deals with things in his own way. He convinced all the family that he was fine and to be honest with you, I was tired of the fighting and constant battles, the groundings and other punishments handed down whenever he acted out. I feel really bad that I lost my temper a few times and spanked him. Michael tried to reason with him as well and I know he too lost his temper and spanked Tony on more then one occassion. By the time Tony was twelve, we decided that we would let it be. For the most part, Tony was a happy boy, had lots of friends, did well in school, and played sports. In looking back, I can now see that Tony learned at a very young age how to hide his feelings from all of us. The only thing he could not control were the nightmares."

Gibbs thought about what he had just learned and said, "I think you did a wonderful job. You said it yourself, Tony was a happy child."

Marie gently stroked the back of Jethro's hand. "We spoiled him, and only wanted him to be happy. I should have realized that the nightmares were an indication that he was not fine."

Gibbs sat up, taking hold of both of Maries hands. "You handled it as best you could. You can't second guess the decisions you made years ago. Focus on what he needs from you now."

Marie layed back down next to Jethro and he wrapped her in a hug. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "So I'm confused here, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Marie laughed at Jethro's question, "It's a good thing Jethro, just continue to be his friend and let Tony set the pace."

The next day Tony went to work with his mom, she put him to work as a busboy/dishwasher. This was the job he held at the restaurant before going off to college so he did not have to be trained. He kept the dining room clean and the dishes properly washed and put away. He only got in trouble once the first day at work when his mom caught him borrowing another employees cell phone.

"Anthony! I told you no cell phones," his mother scolded.

"Later Steve I gotta go," Tony said as he closed the cell phone.

"Technically mom you said I could not use my cell phone, you did not say I could not use someone else's phone."

Marie looked at Tony and said, "You knew exactly what I meant when I said no telephone, otherwise you would not be hiding in the pantry making your call now would you?"

Tony just smiled and said, "You got me there, come on mom you can't blame a guy for trying."

Marie told Tony to return the phone to whom ever he borrowed it from and to not let it happen again. As Tony passed his mother he was surprised when she smacked his butt with her hand.

"Owwww!" He yelled as he turned to look back at his mom, "That really hurt." He walked away rubbing the back of his pants.

The days passed by quickly as far as Marie was concerned and she was sad when she realized Tony would be leaving in a few days. She was starting to get used to having him around again, especially since he had been coming into work with her everyday. He had decided to keep working even after he had earned enough money to pay Jethro back. It would be nice heading back to school with some extra money in his pocket.

Jethro and Tony continued to bond over the next few weeks by going to a baseball game one day then fishing the next. Today was the day Jethro was going to drive Tony to his house in Georgetown and show him the boat he was building in his basement.  
Tony insisted that you can't build a boat in your basement and Gibbs was going to prove him wrong.

They made their way down the basement steps and Gibbs smiled when he heard Tony say, "Well I'll be damned." Tony walked around the frame of the boat admiring the craftsmanship. He looked around and didn't notice any electric saws or power tools of any sort.

Gibbs knew what Tony was thinking and said, "I only use hand tools, I love how my hands feel against the wood and besides it relaxes me and helps me unwind after a stressful day."

Tony thought about how he liked to relieve stress and a smile came over his face as he thought to himself, "My way is definitely better then building a boat."

Tony continued to study the boat, "Yeah but doesn't it take you a lot longer doing it this way?"

Gibbs gave Tony a quick smile and said, "What's the big rush? I take satisfaction in knowing I did the best possible job without taking any shortcuts and when I am finished I leave behind something beautiful and hopefully something that people will admire years after I am gone."

Tony wasn't sure if they were still talking about the boat or maybe something a little deeper. As they headed back upstairs to head for home Tony paused and said, "How are you going to get it out of the basement?"

The next day the whole family plus the members of Gibb's team were gathered for a BBQ at Marie's house in Baltimore. This was Tony's last day with his family before he needed to be driven back to OSU and get himself prepared for the 2009 Summer Quarter and Marie wanted to do something special for her son.

Jethro showed off his excellent BBQ skills and prepared steaks, Chicken, hot dogs and burgers. , Tony sat in the kitchen talking to his two grandmothers. His maternal grandmother made her famous potato salad while his paternal grandmother put the final touches on her fruit salad. Both ladies understood English but it was easier for them to speak in their native Italian. They were happy that their children as well as their grandchildren were all fluent in Italian. Even though both grandmothers were in their late eighties they were still very active working at the restaurant and enjoyed going to Bingo twice a week. Tony's paternal grandmother Rosalie was telling Tony how she won $1000.00 last month on her u-pick em' ticket and how it was Tony's birthday number that won. She slipped him a $100.00 for bringing her good luck. Not to be out done his maternal grandmother Cecelia went to her purse and wrote Tony a check for $100.00 and told him to do something fun with the money. Tony, now $200.00 richer was enjoying all the attention and wondered if his grandfathers were going to be just as generous.

Michael and his two kids were tossing a Nerf Football to each other on the lawn and the kids asked their dad if he could get the others to play a real game. "Hey the kids want to play a game," Michael said to the others.

Soon everyone that wanted to play was gathered on the lawn and Jethro and Nicole's husband Dominic were chosen to be team captains. Jethro won the coin toss and got first pick, "I'll take Tony."

Tony pumped his fist in the air and said, "Yes! Tony DiNozzo number one in the draft." He went and stood next to Jethro.

Dominic chose Frank and the two of them did a little chest bump. Jethro chose Ziva next and Dominic not wanting to get in trouble with his wife Nicole pointed to her to join his team. Jethro chose McGee next while Dominic took Michael. Jethro pointed to Kate and she joined team Gibb's. Gina stood with Michael's two kids with her arms folded, she was daring Dominic to pick a kid over her. Dominic looked at his choices and said, "I'll take Tina. The little girl screamed and jumped up and down for not getting picked last.

Jethro pointed to Abby who joined team Gibb's giving each team member a high five.

Dominic pointed to Michael's wife Angela and she went and stood with her teammates.

Everyone laughed at Gina and waited to see who Jethro would take. Everyone but Jethro knew that Gina was very good at sports but she was really competitive and always got carried away in any type of competition so it was always the family joke to pick her last to make her mad. He pointed to Stevie who said, "Sorry Aunt Gina and ran to his team giving his Uncle Tony a big high five. Gina sighed and walked to her team with her arms still folded.

The game was fun for both sides and all of the adults let the kids score anytime they had the ball. The guys of course had to show off a little bit too. Jethro the quarterback and Tony the receiver connected on several long passes and Tony just loved taunting his two brothers and brother-in-law anytime he scored. Frank had fun tackling Kate and the two of them were seen kissing more then once after a play had ended. Which prompted Tony to say each time, "There is no kissing in football."

The final play of the game came when the very competitive Gina kneed Tony in the groin and picked up his fumble for a defensive touchdown. Although she denied ever laying a hand on her brother, she was penalized and team Gibb's won 30-24...  
Tony was still laying on the lawn holding his tender area and trying to breath when Marie called everyone for dinner. The hungry group made their way to the picnic tables leaving Tony to get up on his own.

"That's okay guys, I can get up on my own," he mumbled as he watched his family make their way to the tables. The food was perfect and everyone ate their fill. For dessert Marie carried out a large cake that read, "Good Luck At School Tony, Go Buckeyes."

Finally it was time for the party to come to an end. Michael and his wife Angela gave Tony a check for $500.00 and told him to save it for emergencies. Michael gave Tony a big hug and Angela kissed him on each cheek and told him to stay out of trouble. Michael's two children said they would look for him on t.v. and Tony knelt down so they could each give him a kiss. Tony put the check in his pocket and said, "Thanks guys, your the best."

Nicole hugged and kissed Tony and Dominic shook his hand and said, "Good luck and make sure you guys cover the point spread this season." Tony laughed and said that he would do his best.

Frank with Kate at his side shook his brothers hand then after a few seconds not sure of what to do next he gave Tony a quick hug and said, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Tony smiled at his brother and said, "You can count on it bro."

Kate shook Tony's hand and wished him luck. Kate noticed that Tony held her hand a little longer then he should have as he said thank you.

Ziva, Abby and McGee thanked Jethro and Marie for inviting them to the party and wished Tony good luck and told him they would look for his teams games on t.v. this season.

Gina gave Tony a big hug and kiss, "Sorry about the game, you know how I hate to lose."

Tony smiled at his sister, "It's okay, I forgive you but you really have to learn a little self control."

She hugged and kissed him again and said, "You better make it home for Thanksgiving because I miss you already."

Finally it was time to say goodbye to the grandparents and just like Tony had hoped each grandfather came through big time with a crisp hundred dollar bill. He gave each of his grandfathers a kiss on each cheek and told them he loved them. His grandmothers were crying and kept coming back to kiss and hug him over and over again. It took awhile before the crying grandmothers allowed their husbands to finally take them home.

Now it was just Jethro, Marie and Tony. It was late and they were getting an early start for Ohio in the morning and Tony was feeling really tired. He went over to his mom and gave her a kiss and then wrapped her in a big hug, "Thanks mom for the great party, I had a lot of fun."

Marie smiled at her son, "Your welcome sweetheart."

Tony turned to Jethro, "You take care of her or I'll go into your basement and burn your boat." Jethro laughed and reached his hand out to Tony who smiled and firmly shook the hand that was offered. "Goodnight guys, I'll see you in the morning," Tony said as he went upstairs to bed.


	14. Chapter 14

The alarm clock on the bedside table began to ring making Jethro wake from a sound sleep. With his eyes still shut he fumbled for the clock but it kept sliding just out of his reach. With his frustration building he finally said, "Aw the hell with it," and swung his arm sending the alarm clock flying across the room. Marie laughed at Jethro and said, "I'll go put a pot of coffee on while you shower."

Marie put her slippers on and walked down the hallway stopping at Tony's room. She gently tapped on her son's door but there was no response. She carefully opened the door and saw her son still sound asleep. He was stretched out with one arm dangling off the side of the bed almost touching the floor. His blanket was pulled up exposing his legs and his sheet was wrapped tightly around his waist. It looked as though Tony had tossed and turned during the night and Marie prayed that he did not have another nightmare.

She sat on the edge of his bed and gently pushed the hair out of his eyes and gave him a gentle kiss to wake up with. His tired eyes slowly blinked open and he smiled when he saw his mother smiling down at him. "Good morning mom, what time is it?" He asked while sitting up and wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning sweetie, it's 5:00 in the morning and we best get a move on."

"I did most of my packing last night, so it shouldn't take me long to get ready."

"You take your time sweetie, were going to stop for breakfast once were out of the city so we don't get caught up in the morning commute. Can I make you anything to eat to hold you until breakfast?"

"Maybe just some toast and juice, I'll shower and finish my packing and I'll be right down, oh and mom did you still want me to bookmark in your computer those football websites I told you about when I first got here?"

"Of course I do, I want to follow everything you and your team do this season. Were also going to upgrade our cable package at home and at the restaurant to make sure we add the Big 10 Network, to hear all the news about the Buckeyes."

Tony laughed and told his mom, "You do realize that there are 10 other teams in our conference and not all the news will be about the Buckeyes."

"I know that, so I guess it's a good thing I know how to use the mute button on my remote control," Marie said as she ruffled Tony's hair and headed downstairs. Tony laughed at his mom's sense of humor.

Tony showered and finished his packing, he took one last look in his bedroom to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, once he was satisfied he carried his backpack and suitcases downstairs and placed them near the front door. He then went into his mother's office and powered up her computer. Marie came in at Tony's request and typed in her password so he could access the Internet and add all of the best College Football sites to her favorites list. Once he was done he showed her how to use everything then quickly signed on to his own ISP and checked his in box and seeing it had over 100 messages he said, "Oh man, it's gonna take me forever to get caught up." He powered down his mothers computer and headed to the kitchen.

Jethro was already showered and enjoying his coffee when Tony made his way into the kitchen. He was happy to see his cell phone and laptop sitting on the kitchen table waiting for him. He picked up his cell phone and kissed it saying, "Oh how I've missed you." He sat at the table waiting for his toast and juice and immediately started checking messages. Jethro and Marie smiled at each other shaking their heads at Tony's apparent love of his cell phone.

Marie went upstairs to get showered and dressed after making Tony a quick snack and when she came back downstairs Jethro and Tony had already loaded the bags into the car and they were ready to leave. It was almost 6:30 am by the time they reached the freeway taking them out of Baltimore. It was an hour later that Marie saw a nice looking diner coming up at the next exit. Tony had fallen asleep in the car almost immediately but woke right up as he felt the car come to a stop.

The three of them made their way into the restaurant and waited to be seated. The hostess showed them to their table and she and Tony exchanged smiles as she handed them their menus. Tony followed the pretty girl with his eyes as she went back to the front to seat the next party. Gibb's smacked him on the top of the head with his menu and said, "Your necks gonna snap if you bend it any further."

Tony glared at Gibb's while rubbing the top of his head. "You know I really wish you would stop doing that."

The waitress came to the table to take their order; Tony wanting to get even with Gibb's for smacking him said, "Would you mind giving us a few more minutes, my step father hasn't had a chance to look over the senior menu yet?"

The waitress said, "Sure no problem, I'll be right back."

Tony laughed so that only Gibb's and his mom could hear him. Gibbs starred back at Tony and said, "You know it's a real long walk to Ohio."

Marie told them both to stop acting like three year olds but was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

They all three ordered pancakes and sausage except Tony added an extra side of bacon and hash browns to go with his order. Jethro was curious as to why Tony was taking classes this quarter so he asked, "Why are you taking classes this summer, you strike me as the kind of guy that would like having his summer free?"

Tony took a big gulp of his milk, "You are so right about that but with football in the fall it's easier if I take two of my five classes now and only have to deal with three classes once football season starts." Tony finished off his milk and continued, "Most of the guys do it this way. During Football season we have classes in the morning and afternoon then football practice in the late afternoon and then we have to do homework and study just like everybody else and some of us have to work. Luckily the school gets us all tutors if we need help and we have people on the coaching staff that help us figure out when we need to be somewhere."

Jethro looked at Tony, "Sounds like you have a busy schedule."

"Yeah, it was hard last year being new and everything but I kinda know what to expect now so this year it should be easier."

Marie joined the conversation, "Tony did very well his first full year and has a 3.56 GPA.

Jethro nodded his approval to Tony, "Not bad DiNozzo and here I thought you were just another pretty face."

Tony grinned at Gibb's, "I'm the complete package, beauty and brains." Jethro and Marie both laughed. Tony then continued, "Seriousely though, If I don't keep my grades up I can't play football so I don't really have a choice."

Jethro picked the check up from the table and paid the bill with his credit card and the three were again on their way. It was just a little after one in the afternoon when they arrived at Tony's apartment. They passed the pool and Tony saw a lot of his friends lounging in the sun or swimming and even though he was sad that his visit with his family was nearing an end, he was happy to be back home.

Tony led his mom and Jethro upstairs to his apartment and pulled his OSU keychain out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Josh and Steve were inside sitting on the couch watching their latest DVD of "When Good Girls Go Bad." and from what Jethro could see judging from the pipe on the table, probably flying a little high at the moment. A faint smell still lingered in the air and Marie being a bit naive when it came to drugs assummed it was incense.

Tony walked closer to his two roommates and said so only they could hear, "Real nice guys." He then looked down at the pipe and Steve picked it up and put it under the couch cushion. Tony then said, "Leroy Jethro Gibb's, I want you to meet my roommates, Steve and Josh" The two got up from the couch and shook hands with Gibb's and said, "It's nice to meet you sir."  
They then turned to Marie whom they had met a few times before and each said how nice it was to see her again.

Steve and Josh were built just like Tony, big and strong and Jethro assummed correctly that they were both on the football team too. Steve invited them to sit down and as Jethro made his way over to the couch, he noticed the pipe was now gone. They talked for a short while then Marie asked if the boys would all like to go to lunch. Steve and Josh, never ones to pass up a free meal said yes and as they were about to leave Jethro pulled Steve aside, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Steve looked confused at Gibb's shaking his head no. Gibb's motioned with his eyes towards the couch and Steve turned a bright shade of red, "Oh yeah, I better take care of that," Steve said as he told the others he would be right down. Jethro shook his head, he did not want to come back from lunch to find the apartment in flames.

After lunch was finished and the boys were driven back to their apartment, it was now time for the goodbyes. Tony walked his mom and Jethro back to the car and said, "Well I guess this is it." He turned to Gibb's and said, "Thanks for putting up with all of my crap and taking me to the range and all the other stuff too." He then surprised Gibb's by offering him a quick hug. He then said, "Our first game this year is September 5th against Navy, if you can make it I can get you good seats."

Jethro smiled and said, "I'll be looking forward to it Tony." He then offered Tony his hand. "You take care of yourself and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

Tony smiled back at Gibb's and said, "I'll do that."

Now came the hard part he thought as he turned to his mom. Jethro went to wait near the car to give Tony and his mom a private moment. Tony saw the tears already building in his mom's eyes and it broke his heart. He gave his mom a big hug and whispered, "I'll call you every week, I promise."

Marie wiped the tears falling down her cheeks and said, "You had better," then she handed him a check to help him through the quarter just as she always did.

"I want you to promise me you will keep all of your appointments when you begin your therapy sessions," Marie whispered as she continued to hug her youngest son.

"I will mom, I now realize that I have a lot of stuff that I need to work out. When you made me go to those shrinks when I was a kid, I was too scared to talk to them. I didn't want to cry in front of strangers and I didn't want you to worry about me; so I acted like I was fine and you eventually allowed me to stop going."

"I wish that I had made you continue, maybe things would b..."

Tony gently placed a finger to his mothers lips, not letting her finish her thought. "Mom, its not your fault. I remember you tried everything to get me to go to those appointments. You grounded me, even spanked me a few times when I was really being a jerk about it."

Marie nodded in agreement, "You were a handful."

Then she laughed and said, "You still are."

A grin broke out on Tony's face and he said, "I know I am, lucky for me I am too old for a spanking."

Marie looked up at her son and laughed, "You don't know how close I came to delivering a few swats to your backside when I picked you up at the police station."

Tony laughed then said, "I love you mom and I promise that I am going to make you proud of me. I am going to do my best this year in school and in football just for you, and I promise that I will make the most of my therapy sessions."

They both wiped their eyes and smiled. Tony sniffed and said, "I hate goodbyes."

Tony then opened the car door for his mom and said, "I hope you both can make it to my first game in September, if not I'll see you at Thanksgiving."

Tony stepped back away from the car and as he was about to wave goodbye he added, "Have fun on the honeymoon, but not too much fun I don't want to come home on winter break to find out I'm going to have a baby brother or sister."

Marie and Jethro both laughed and Tony leaned in one last time to kiss his mom and then they were gone. Tony stood and watched until the car was completely out of sight before heading back to his apartment.

Marie and Jethro drove home in silence just holding hands both realizing just how empty the car now felt.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony sat in the lecture hall tapping his pencil on top of his desk as his Criminology Professor was just finishing up their lesson for the day he looked over to the blackboard to make sure he had copied down the homework that was due for tomorrow and waited for the professor to dismiss the class. Soon he was making his way across campus heading for home. He stopped at his mailbox and smiled when he opened it to find a postcard from his mom. She and Jethro had gone to Hawaii for their honeymoon and from what the postcard read, they were having a nice time.

Tony went straight to his room and threw his backpack on the bed and pulled out his books and assignments from both of his classes today. He spent the next few hours working on assignments from his Environmental Science and Criminology classes. Once he was satisfied with his work he layed down on his bed to rest until he had to get ready for his job at the campus McDonald's.

Tony liked his job and had lot's of friends there. He really liked working the drive thru window and handing out the food orders to the pretty girls. Most of the customers and employees were OSU students and all shift long the McDonald's was filled with the sound of someone outside screaming O-H and the response from inside would be I-O...To an outsider it probably sounded strange but to a Buckeye it was as normal as ordering a Big Mac and fries.

It was a Saturday morning and Tony, Josh and Steve were heading down to the pool to cool off. It was not yet noon but the temperature was in the low 90's already. Steve opened the gate with his pool key and the three walked in and immediately noticed a group of new girls they hadn't seen before. They took up a position on the opposite side of the pool from the girls so they could check them out. Liking what they saw the guys decided to show off a little and get the girls attention. First they took off their t-shirts to show off their muscular and well toned bodies. A few of the girls looked up from their books and smiled but that was all.

Next they decided to show off by diving into the pool off the high dive. Tony, Josh and Steve each made beautiful dives into the water and still no response from the girls. Tony lifted himself from the pool and sat dangling his feet in the water paying particular attention to one girl. She was absolutely beautiful, in fact Tony had never seen such a beauty in all his life. Her skin was golden brown and her dark hair shined in the late morning sun. She wore sun glasses so he couldn't be sure but he would bet that her eyes were stunning. Her lips were full and boy could she fill out that bikini she was wearing. He felt Little Tony stir inside his bathing suit and he had to take a deep breath. Usually he could approach a girl without thinking twice but there was something about this girl that was different making him feel a little shy.

Josh and Steve decided to go over and talk to the girls and after a few minutes they came back over to Tony and sat down next to him. Tony asked, "What did they say?"

Steve sighed, "They said they don't date jocks and for us to not bother them."

Tony looked at Steve, "How did they know were jocks?"

Josh answered, "Because genius here told them were on the football team."

Steve shrugged, "I thought it was a good conversation starter."

Tony looked into the pool water and said, "Well they're not going to ignore me, you guys watch this." He made his way over to the high dive and climbed the ladder. He then walked to the edge of the board and right before he dove off he yelled as loud as he could, "CANNON BALL!" and hit the water soaking the girls and their books completely.

One of the girls stood up and screamed, "Look what you did you little jerk."

Tony just continued to swim around the pool ignoring them, while Josh and Steve laughed loudly.

"Lets get him," is the last thing Tony heard before he saw all three girls jump into the water. He tried to make it to the side of the pool and climb up the ladder to safety but the girls managed to grab a hold of him and pull him back into the pool. They began pulling his hair and dunking him under water. He was getting slapped and kicked from all directions when finally Josh and Steve dove in to rescue their friend. They pulled the girls away and Tony swam to the shallow end of the pool where he stopped to catch his breath on the steps. He sat and watched as Josh and Steve tried to calm the girls down but were unsuccessful. They got out of the pool, gathered their things and left. Tony looked at the beautiful girl as she left and hoped he would see her again.

A few days later as Tony was doing his laundry he once again saw the dark haired beauty. She was sitting waiting for her clothes to dry and Tony was just putting his load into a dryer. He walked over to where she sat reading a book and took the empty seat next to her.

"I'm sorry about the other day at the pool," Tony said without looking at her. She continued reading her book like he hadn't even spoke so he tried again.

"My name is Anthony but my friends call me Tony." Still no response. He sighed, "Can't you at least tell me your name?"

She put her book down and looked at him. "I don't mean to be rude but I'm really not interested. I told your friends the other day at the pool I don't date jocks."

Tony looked at the beauty sitting next to him, "Come on, you don't even know me. Let me at least buy you a cup of coffee or something to say I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "What is it with guys like you, you just can't take no for an answer. I've told you how I feel, I don't know what else you expect me to say?"

Tony grinned at her, "Your name would be a good start."

She saw the infectious grin on his face and couldn't help but smile. "My name is Alyssa, now are you satisfied?"

Tony looked at her and said, "That's a pretty name, it suits you."

She smiled at him and thought that he was cute, really, really cute but she also thought he looked like trouble, the kind of trouble her mom had warned her about. She said, "I guess I should apologize to you too for pulling your hair in the pool and slapping you, although you deserved it," she added with a small grin.

Tony grinned back saying, "Apology accepted."

Alyssa saw that her dryer had stopped so she got up to get her clothes. Tony got up with her and opened the dryer door for her saying, "Allow me."

She replied with, "Thank You," and loaded the clean clothes into her basket. She stopped at one of the tables and began to fold her laundry. She looked over to Tony where he sat waiting for his own dryer to finish. He smiled at her when he caught her starring at him and she quickly turned away and went back to her folding.

Tony decided to keep the conversation going, "So what do you think, are you going to let me buy you that cup of coffee?"

Alyssa looked over and said, "Well I suppose it's the least you could do after ruining my book."

Tony smiled as he pulled out his cell phone, "Can I have your number?" Alyssa gave Tony her number and he added it to his contact list. She then took out her phone and did the same with Tony's number. She finished her folding and Tony offered to carry the basket back to her apartment for her but she declined. They shook hands and Tony said he would call her tomorrow. Alyssa walked back to her apartment wondering how she had let that guy sweet talk her into giving him her phone number. She didn't date jocks for a reason but there was something different about this one that she couldn't quite put her finger on. No matter she thought, it was just going to be a cup of coffee...or was it? 


	16. Chapter 16

Tony sat in front of his locker getting ready for football practice. He had already finished his classes for the day and was thankful he did not have much homework to do. He had called Alyssa on his lunch break and the two agreed to meet at one of the campus coffee shops after football practice.

Tony had a good practice and continued to impress the coaches. He was very popular with all his team mates and took the hazing from the upper class men all in stride. The team was bound by strict NCAA rules and the players were not to exceed 20 hours of practice time a week, so all the players, including Tony knew that goofing around on the field would not be tolerated but inside the locker room was a different story.

The music was loud enough but then you add in nearly 100 pumped up 18-22 year old's who had just learned the AP Poll had ranked the Buckeyes as the 6th best team in the Nation, the sound from inside the locker room elevated to an ear piercing level. All the players had high hopes of repeating as Conference Champions for the fifth consecutive year and if they could get passed USC during week two of their season they would have a good shot at playing for the National Title.

Tony stepped out of the shower and weaved through his teammates trying to dodge the towel flicks the Juniors and Seniors always inflicted on the younger players. Tony screamed, "OUCH!" as a particular wet towel smacked into his bare bottom. He paid them no mind as he sat down in front of his locker and got dressed for his date with Alyssa. He put on his deodorant and favorite cologne and ran the electric razor over his already baby smooth face. He didn't need to shave daily but it gave him confidence to think that he had to, especially when he was going on a date.

He slipped a green polo shirt over his head and smoothed it out to make sure there were no wrinkles. He then pulled on a pair of jeans and fastened his belt. He looked at the many shoe choices he had in his locker and decided on his casual brown boots, thinking the Nike's he had first reached for just screamed "Jock" and he did not want to give Alyssa a reason to cut the date short.

He looked at his watch and realized it was almost time to meet Alyssa so he grabbed his wallet making sure his bank card and a little cash were tucked away inside and grabbing his cell phone he hurried out of the locker room. He was stopped by a few members of the press wanting to ask about the days practice but he told them he had an appointment and he would be happy to talk to them later. He then had to get by the group of girls that always hung around after the team's practice trying to hook up with anyone from the team that they could. He brushed passed them smiling and saying, "Not today ladies maybe some other time."

He finally made it to the coffee shop and sat at one of the outdoor tables waiting for Alyssa to arrive. He looked at his hands and noticed his palms were sweaty. He wondered why he was so nervous, it's not like he had never done this before. He then noticed Alyssa approaching and he immediately wiped his palms on the front of his pants just above his knees before he stood up to greet the beauty coming towards him.

She wore a white dress with a pretty floral pattern that went just below her knees, her sandals were simple but stylish and she carried a purse on her shoulder and a light weight sweater in one arm. Tony noticed that everyone she passed, men and women alike turned to watch her as she passed. He suddenly felt a wave of jealousy wash over him and he wanted to jump up and shout that she belonged to him.

He stood up and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and pulled her chair out for her. He took his seat across from her and said, "You look beautiful."

She smiled back at the handsome man sitting across from her and said, "Thank you Tony," as she sat her purse and sweater on an empty chair.

When their waiter arrived they each ordered a coffee and pastry and then sat for a few quiet seconds, each hoping the other would say something first. Of course they both started to speak at the same time after that causing them both to laugh and say, "You go first."

Tony smiled at Alyssa and asked, "How was your day?"

"It was fine, I had just one early class today so I spent most of the morning watching movies at home."

"Really, I love watching movies, what did you see?"

Alyssa named the movies she had seen today and then they both started listing some of their favorites until the coffee and pastry arrived. They then turned the conversation to school and asked about each others classes and found out they were both Sophomores. Tony found out that Alyssa and her two roommates had just moved into their apartment a few weeks ago. Alyssa said they were tired of the restrictions of dorm life and thought an off campus apartment would be more fun. Tony then told Alyssa about how he, Josh and Steve felt the same way and have lived off campus since late last year.

Alyssa took a sip of her coffee and smiled at Tony, "So I looked you up on the OSU website and read your biography." Tony hated those things but all the players had to have one on the school website and in the media guide.

Tony looked at Alyssa, "Hey that's not fair, you have to tell me something personal about you now so I don't feel at a disadvantage."

"Okay what do you want to know?"

Tony thought for a moment, "Where are you from?"

Alyssa answered, "California."

"How old are you?"

"18"

"Favorite actor?"

"Patrick Dempsey."

"Favorite flower?"

"Pink Carnation." Alyssa stopped him before he could go any further. "I can't give away all my secrets on the first date."

Tony smiled and said, "First date? Like maybe we might have a second and third and...." Alyssa put her hand over his mouth to silence him and said, "I haven't decided yet."

Tony grinned at Alyssa and asked, "So if I were to ask you to go to dinner with me tomorrow night you would say?"

"I would probably say yes, providing you remain a gentleman the rest of the evening."

Tony smiled and said, "I promise to be on my best behavior."

Alyssa asked if he would like to take a walk and Tony said that he would. A slight breeze had picked up and Tony helped Alyssa put her sweater on. He then went and took care of their bill and asked her where she wanted to go. She said it was always nice to walk around campus, so that's what they did. They stopped for ice cream and as they walked along the path that went around Mirror Lake eating their cones, Tony reached down and took Alyssa's hand in his and was happy when she returned his gentle squeeze with one of her own.

They walked and talked for several hours before Alyssa and Tony found themselves back at their apartment complex. Tony walked Alyssa to her door, "I had a great time tonight," he said as he placed a kiss on her cheek. She smiled at him and said, "I did too, thank you Tony."

Tony then said, "I really would like to take you to dinner tomorrow night."

Alyssa thought for a moment, she really had only planned to go out with him this one time but she had found him to be funny as well as very charming and his good looks were just a bonus as far as she was concerned. She smiled back at Tony and said, "Dinner would be nice."

"Great! I'll pick you up around 7pm."

"I'll be ready, thanks and goodnight," Alyssa said as she watched Tony cross the parking lot back to his own apartment.

Tony felt as though he was walking on air. He had never felt this way about a girl before and he couldn't remember ever going home this satisfied after a date that had not included sex. He really couldn't explain his feelings, this was all new to him.

Alyssa changed into her night gown and pulled her journal out from under her pillow. She began writing...Today I had a date with that annoying boy from the pool, we met for coffee. It turns out he's not really as annoying as I first thought. He was very nice and he made me laugh a lot, were going out again tomorrow.

The next morning Alyssa was surprised with a delivery of a dozen pink carnations and a note that read, "Looking forward to dinner tonight....Tony.

Tony and Alyssa were together almost everyday since that first date at the coffee shop. The time past by so quickly, neither could believe that they had been dating for over two months. They had shared their first passionate kiss on date #3 as Alyssa cuddled against Tony's chest while watching the Fourth Of July fireworks in the park. On dates #4 thru #10 they had romantic dinners, seen a few good movies, gone dancing and went to various parties on campus and finally date #11 was when the young couple made love for the first time. There were times during dates #3 thru #10 that Tony found himself taking quite a few cold showers but in the end he was glad they waited. The sex had been the best he had ever had and he finally realized that there was a difference between having sex and making love.

The Summer was nearing it's end which meant the Football season was about to begin. Tony as expected had won a starting position on the team and he was looking forward to his mom and Gibb's arriving tomorrow for the opening game of the season. He went to bed early but found he was just too excited to fall asleep. He called Alyssa and asked if she could come over, he knew a fun way to tire his body out so he could get some sleep. He layed back down on his bed with a big grin on his face. 


	17. Chapter 17

The players and coaches made their way into St. Johns arena for the traditional pre-game skull session. The crowd was loud and pumped up for opening day. Tony, Josh and Steve stood together looking at all the fans standing and cheering the return of Buckeye Football. The band played the school fight song and the coach said a few words to the crowd before leading the team into the stadium to prepare for today's game.

Tony called his mom on her cell phone as the team made it's way to the locker room. "Hi mom, where are you guys?"

Marie answered, "Were just parking the car, where would you like us to meet you?"

"I left your game tickets at Player Will Call, I have to go get suited up and do my pre- game warm ups. I'll try and come over to the stands before the game if I can."

"Okay sweetie, I'll tell Jethro."

"Oh and mom, my girlfriend Alyssa is going to be sitting with you guys, she already has her ticket and should be in her seat when you guys get there. She knows where to meet me after the game so you guys stick with her okay?"

"Okay Tony, in case I don't see you before the game, good luck!"

"Thanks mom." Tony ended the call just as he made it to his locker. He and all his teammates were excited to get out on the field.

Marie and Jethro made their way into the stadium after picking up their tickets where Tony had left them. They asked an usher for assistance to help them find their seats. Once they were directed to the correct row they made their way to their seats. Marie saw a young lady wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt talking on her cell phone and said to Jethro, "That must be Alyssa."

When Alyssa saw the couple coming towards her she ended her phone call and stood up to greet them. "Hi are you Tony's family?" She asked.

Marie smiled at the pretty young lady and said yes I am Tony's mother and this is my husband Jethro, you must be Alyssa."

Alyssa shook hands with them both and they took their seats making small talk to get to know one another better.

A short while later the Buckeyes began to come out on to the field for pre-game workouts. Marie scanned the field for Tony and finally found him walking near the goal post with two other players that she assumed were Josh and Steve. Marie, Gibb's and Alyssa watched as Tony stretched, ran and caught passes from the quarterback. Once his warm ups were finished he took off his helmet and made his way over to the stands. He scanned the crowd and waved to his family when he saw them. He motioned for them to come down to the railing and he climbed up as high as he could. Marie leaned down so Tony could give her a kiss, then he shook hands with Gibb's.

"It's great to see you guys," Tony said. He then took hold of Alyssa's hand over the railing and held it as he asked his mom if they had met yet.

Marie smiled at her son who was obviousely quite smitten with his new girlfriend. "Yes Tony we met and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better."

Tony smiled back at his mom, "Good, well I better get back before my coach gets all over me, I'll see you guys after the game, okay?" "I love you mom," and with that, he gave Alyssa a kiss then he hopped back down on to the field and ran to the locker room.

The game began just after noon and the very first play of the game, Tony got the ball and rushed for a first down, a few plays later he caught a 38 yard pass from the quarterback scoring the Buckeyes first touchdown of the season. He and his teammates celebrated in the end zone with chest bumps and high fives, then Josh came on to the field and kicked the extra point putting the Buckeyes up 7-0. Marie, Alyssa and Jethro cheered loudly for Tony and Ohio State.

Navy came right back mid way through the quarter and tied the game at 7-7.

The two teams played each other tough the remainder of the quarter and the Buckeyes went up by a score of 10-7 when Josh kicked a field goal.

The second quarter started promising for the Buckeyes as Tony returned Navy's kick to mid field from his own 3 yard line, the Buckeyes would eventually score a touchdown and Josh kicked another extra point to put Ohio State up 17-7.

Josh was called on again just before halftime and he connected with another field goal increasing the Buckeye's lead to 20-7.

Navy had the only score in the third quarter when the quarterback connected for a 16 yard pass making the score a little closer at 20-14.

The final quarter of the game began with Tony once again returning a kick into Navy territory setting up another field goal for Josh making the score 23-14 and a few plays later Tony rushed for his second touchdown of the game, the first time in his Collegiate career that he has scored two touchdowns in one game. Marie and Alyssa hugged each other in celebration and Jethro cheered. He knew Tony had to be good to be on the first string but he was surprised at just how good Tony was. The Buckeye's lead stayed at 29-14 when Josh missed the extra point.

Navy made things interesting by scoring another touchdown making the score 29-21 then scored quickly again making it 29-27. The Buckeye players and fans were stunned. Everyone held their breath as Navy lined up to go for the two point conversion to try and tie the game and send it into overtime.

But the Football God's were smiling down on the Buckeyes on this day. As the Navy quarterback made his pass towards a player in the end zone, Steve leaped in the air and intercepted the pass and ran it back for a defensive 2 point score. The Buckeyes held on and won the game 31-27....The fans and players celebrated by singing Carmen Ohio and Alyssa showed Marie and Gibb's how to do the O-H-I-O hand signals at the end of the song. It had been a great way to begin the season.

After the game, Tony had to attend the post game press conference and it was more then an hour after the game had ended that he finally got to see his family and Alyssa. They all went to dinner to celebrate and Tony was so proud that his mom, Gibbs and his best girl got to see him play the best game of his career.

Marie wanted to spend the evening with Tony but Jethro knew from his days at Penn State that the after party to celebrate a big win was something the players looked forward to. He had to explain this to Marie and for that Tony was grateful. Marie and Jethro went back to their hotel and told Tony they would see him in the morning and take him and Alyssa to breakfast.

The victory party was held at one of the frat houses and man was it a party! There were kegs of beer, hard liquor and jelloshots. The music was loud and the living room was cleared out to make room for dancing and in the adjoining room partiers played pool and beer pong.

Tony and Alyssa just finished doing jello-shots and then made their way to the make shift dance floor, where they bumped and grinded their bodies together to the rhythm of the music. Tony then wanted to play beer pong and lost badly, probably because of one too many jello-shots earlier. After downing 6 plastic cups of beer in his beer pong loss Tony staggered away from the table saying he needed a drink. He only made it a few steps and then he dropped like a ton of bricks, he woke up the next morning with the worst hangover and as soon as he tried to move he realized it had been a mistake and he just barely made it to the toilet in time where he sat hunched over the bowl for the next 20 minutes puking his guts out.

He stumbled back in to his bedroom and wondered how he got home last night or was it this morning? He then thought aloud, "Oh no where was Alyssa? I hope I didn't leave her at the party." He searched frantically through the piles of clothes on the floor looking for the pants he had on last night in search of his cell phone. Finally finding what he needed he called Alyssa and was relieved when she answered the phone.

Tony could tell that she sounded as bad as he felt. "Thank God your home," Tony said releasing the breath he had been holding.

Alyssa said into the phone, "I think we kinda over did it a bit last night."

Tony groaned his reply, "Ya think."

Alyssa laughed, "Poor baby you sound awful, I would come over and kiss it and make it all better but I don't think I can get up."

Tony asked, "Do you remember how we got home last night?"

"Yeah, my roommates came and got us. I guess I called them after you passed out."

Tony stopped her, "Wait a minute, DiNozzo's don't pass out."

Alyssa smiled into the phone, "So I've been told." She thought about the many parties she and Tony had been too and on more then one occasion, Tony had passed out needing assistance from friends to get home and Tony always insisted he had not passed out.

Tony rubbed his aching head, "Ahh, now it makes sense, that's how you wound up at your place and me here." Tony knew Alyssa's roommates have never liked him since the swimming pool incident and took any opportunity they could to keep them apart.

"Tony I'm going to hang up now and go back to sleep, tell your mom and step father I won't be able to go to breakfast this morning, I love you baby," then she hung up.

Tony only said, "Shit" as he still held the phone to his ear, he had forgotten his mom and Jethro were coming over to take him to breakfast. He quickly slipped out of his boxers and jumped in the shower, he dried off and put on clean clothes and made his way to the kitchen happy to see coffee already made. He saw Josh and Steve sitting at the table nursing hangovers of their own. Steve was the first to speak, "Man that was a great party last night." Even though they all three felt like crap, they all agreed it had been a great time.

Marie and Jethro arrived a short while later to pick Tony up for breakfast. He did his best to hide how he was feeling but when he only ordered coffee, juice and a side of toast at breakfast Marie and Jethro both knew he was not feeling well. Plus he was being too quiet and not talking a mile a minute like he usually did.

Marie spread jam on her toast as she asked Tony, "Is Alyssa suffering from the same hangover?"

Tony looked at his mom in surprise, he was going to lie and say that neither of them were hungover but he just didn't have the strength to make his mind work out the words so he just nodded yes.

"Marie looked at Tony and said, "I worry when you do things like this, it's not healthy."

Jethro added, "I'm surprised you would take a chance getting drunk during football season and possibly risk getting suspended."

Tony starred at his un-eaten toast and said, "They aren't going to find out unless the police come out or something like that."

Jethro took a sip of his coffee and said, "It still sounds like a big chance to me."

Tony just shrugged and rolled his eyes, "The campus police pretty much leave us alone as long as fights don't break out, they know a lot of us are under age but as long as we keep it inside they're cool."

Marie shook her head, "Well I don't like it one bit, but I know I can't stop you from doing what you want to do and I am shocked to find out that Alyssa would act this way, she seemed like such a sweet girl."

Tony smiled thinking about his Alyssa. Early on in their relationship he was surprised to find out she was such a party girl, she was a beer bong champ and loved doing jello-shots and sex with her after a night of partying was always the best, partying always brought out her naughty side and Tony loved when naughty Alyssa came to play.

Marie looked over at her son and not wanting to spoil the visit with an argument she said, "Just promise me you will be careful."

"I will mom, don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," The words came out sounding a little angrier then he intended.

Jethro just starred at Tony who fidgeted in his seat and said, "Sorry mom."

Marie said, "It's okay son." She hesitated for a moment but decided to say what was on her mind. "You know the 9/11 anniversary is coming up at the end of the week and I just want you to know if your feeling like you need to talk I want you to know you can call me anytime, day or night."

Tony leaned back in his chair, visibly uncomfortable with how the conversation had turned. "I know mom, you tell me the same thing every year, I'll be fine don't worry."

Since Tony was not feeling well and seemed to have a short temper today, Jethro and Marie decided to cut their visit short and let Tony get home and get back in to bed. They said their goodbyes and told him they would watch the game next Saturday on television. Marie hugged and kissed her ailing son and again told him to call her if he needed anything.

"I will mom and I guess I'll see you at Thanksgiving." "Thanks for coming to my game, having you both here was important to me."

Jethro and Marie smiled at Tony's comment and then they were gone. Tony sighed and headed back up the stairs to his apartment where he would spend the rest of the day sleeping off the worst hangover of his life. He knew the week coming up was going to be rough. The team was facing their toughest opponent on this years schedule and the team needed to win to have a shot for the BCS Championship so Tony knew the coaches were going to be working the team hard this week. He knew he was also going to have to deal with all the 9/11 memories that he tried so hard to keep hidden in the back of his mind. He hoped that he would be able to keep his focus on the team and not let the nightmare in his head cause him to stumble. 


	18. Chapter 18

The week had been just as Tony expected. He was glad he was done with classes until later this month so he could put all his focus on preparing for Saturday's game. He scheduled extra time with the strength and conditioning coach and watched countless hours of game film and when he put on the pads and practiced on the field he ran every play with the same intensity that he would in a real game. He worked hard to prepare for the big game but he was also pushing himself hard to keep his mind from thinking about anything other then football.

His therapist had other ideas and wanted Tony to schedule an extra session this week after their regularly scheduled appointment had not gone well. Tony hated this time of the year and no matter how hard he tried to remain in control of his feelings, he always failed big time. He was shocked, to say the least, when his therapist told him to not worry about trying to keep his emotions in check and to just let it all out.

He was grouchy and irritable to be around and Alyssa, Josh and Steve were trying hard to resist the urge to smack him upside the head. They knew what was causing their normally carefree and fun loving friend to act how he was but at the same time his outright hostility to them and everyone around him was trying every ones patience.

When anyone questioned his attitude, Tony reminded them that he had Doctors permission to be as pissed off as he wanted to be.

Marie called the apartment to speak with Tony but it was Alyssa who answered the phone, she was there cooking a special dinner for Tony to try and cheer him up.

"Oh hi Marie, Tony is not home from practice yet, I asked him to stop at the grocery store on his way home but he should be home soon."

Marie replied, "I'll call back later, but since I have you on the phone can you tell me how he is?"

Alyssa sighed, "You wanna know the truth? I'm about ready to strangle him. He has been an absolute nightmare this week."

Marie let out a big breath, "I was hoping this year things would be better."

Alyssa sighed, "He doesn't want to talk to anyone and when he does he growls like a bear. I'm hoping my special dinner tonight will let him know that I love him and that he doesn't have to go through this alone."

Marie continued, "Tomorrow will be a tough day for us all, If I thought me being there with Tony would help, I would be there in a heart beat but I know he just wants to get through the day on his own. Alyssa, you be there for him, if he needs you he will let you know."

"I will Marie, I just wish he would let me help him."

"You are helping him more then you realize."

"Thanks Marie, I'll tell Tony you called and hopefully he will call you back."

"Goodnight Alyssa and don't let him get to you."

"I won't Marie and please say hello to Jethro for me."

Tony cursed outside the apartment door trying to juggle the grocery bag and get his keys out of his pocket. He finally opened the door and kicked his shoes off and proceeded into the kitchen where he slammed the grocery bag on the counter. Alyssa turned from stirring her gravy on the stove to see Tony standing before her with a black eye.

"Tony what happened?" She asked leaving the stove and walking towards him.

"Nothing," then he laughed bitterly, "I guess some guys don't like it when you call their wife a bitch for running over you with their shopping cart."

Alyssa shook her head, "You didn't?"

Tony just grunted and left the kitchen saying, "Call me when dinners ready."

The next two days were difficult for all of the DiNozzo family. On Friday the entire family made their way to Arlington National Cemetery to bring flowers and remember a beloved family member and on Saturday they gathered around their televisions back in Baltimore to watch The Ohio State Buckeyes lose to The USC Trojans 18-15. They saw Tony on television sitting on the sideline with tears in his eyes. It was a heartbreaking loss with the Buckeyes losing the lead with just a little over a minute to play.

Alyssa waited for Tony after the game and when she saw him she prepared herself for whatever was to come. He walked by her without saying a word but then stopped and held out his hand for her to take. Alyssa reached for his hand and they began walking in silence. A few minutes later Tony said, "This week really sucked big time," and he looked at Alyssa and she was surprised to see a faint grin on his face.

"I'm surprised my therapist didn't have me commited this week," Tony said as the couple continued walking.

Alyssa returned the grin with one of her own and said, "You and me both."

Tony paused and turned to face Alyssa. "Thanks for sticking by me."

Alyssa wrapped her arm around Tony's as they began walking again. "You don't know how close I came to giving you a swift kick in the pants, but walking out on you never once crossed my mind. I wanted to be there for you in case you needed to talk."

Alyssa smiled at Tony, "Talk to me next time, don't shut me out."

Tony looked at Alyssa and tapping two fingers to the side of his head said, "You sure about that, there's a lot going on in this head of mine, some really scary and dark stuff," he said with a smile and added, "I'm a Psychiatrists dream."

"Your such an idiot," she said and laughed as the old Tony was slowly coming back. She knew he was just taking baby steps but she felt confident she could get him to open up to her the next time he had a problem. She knew the pressures he faced with school and the team and just life in general and she wanted to be the one he turned to for help.

Tony looked at Alyssa out of the corner of his eye pretending to be looking forward, "Do you want to go out and get drunk off our asses tonight?"

"Are you serious?" Alyssa asked.

"Yep! Some of the guys on the Trojans invited me to their victory party at their hotel and I just want to have some fun and forget about the last week, especially the last two days."

"I'll do whatever you want, besides that quarterback from USC is hot and I want to meet him," Alyssa teased.

Tony stopped and gave Alyssa a look that Gibbs would have been proud of. "Oh really!" he said. "And here I thought you had a thing for tall, dark haired Italians, not blond skinny surfer boys."

Alyssa laughed and stood on her toes giving Tony a slow passionate kiss. "I said I want to meet him, your the one I want to make love to."

Tony smiled and said, "I can live with that." He then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial as he and Alyssa continued to walk.

"Hi mom, it's me. I just wanted you to know that I'm doing okay...


	19. Chapter 19

The Buckeyes next game the following Saturday was being played at the Cleveland Browns Stadium. Tony was excited to play a football game on a professional NFL teams home field. The Buckeyes were playing The Toledo Rockets and both teams got together for a Friday luncheon and press conference then afterwords, both teams had a chance to visit The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. Tony being a big fan of 60's and 70's Rock and Roll had a great time.

The game on Saturday was dominated by the Buckeyes and the final score was 38-0. Tony had a great game, scoring two touchdowns, one was on a 56 yard pass from the quarterback and the other was an unbelievable grab that was caught between two defenders. The catch made the ESPN Highlights on Sportscenter that night and Tony made sure he called Alyssa so she could add it to their DVR at home.

Classes started on September 23rd and the first conference game of the season was the following Saturday. So this had been a busy week for Tony. The Buckeyes knew that their hopes of playing in the Championship game were all but gone after the USC loss but they still had high hopes of winning the Big 10 Conference and this Saturday was their first conference opponent, The Fighting Illini. There was some bad blood between the two teams and a small scuffle broke out before the game and the teams had to be separated by coaches and officials.

The Buckeyes dominated the game and won 30-0. Tony again had a superb game with over 100 receiving yards and scored a controversial touchdown late in the game that the Illini coach said was the Buckeyes padding the score. There was no love lost between the teams two head coaches and Tony was only doing what his coach told him to do. When he scored the touchdown several of the Illini defenders took offense and started shoving him and knocked him to the ground before Tony's teammates could come to his defense. The officials had to once again separate the two teams. Tony sat on the sideline laughing with his teammates when they began teasing him about the scared look on his face when he saw the 300 pound defensemen coming at him.

Tony, Josh and Steve were hanging out shooting pool and eating pizza with some of their other friends from school. They were in a pool league and tonight the team of Tony, Josh and Steve was going up against three guys from the Alpha Chi Delta Fraternity. The Fraternity brothers liked their opponents and told them they should all three pledge to join and since Hell Week was coming up they would not have to wait long.

The three friends thought it over and decided to give it a try as long as it did not interfere with Football. Josh and Steve were sold on the idea after hearing about talk of brotherhood and getting laid and Tony had always been interested in joining a Fraternity and was looking forward to seeing first hand just what happens during Hell Week. He told himself "How bad can it be."

Most of the brothers were cool and only had the new pledges perform acts of servitude for them such as wash their cars, do their laundry etc...But some were complete assholes and liked to humiliate and inflict pain. All of the pledges had to endure the paddle at one time or another and when it came time for them all to strip down naked and wear their underwear on their heads as they were forced to run 5 miles in the middle of nowhere some of the pledges dropped out, but not Tony, Josh and Steve, they were determined to see it through to the very end.

The three friends ran along the trail naked with their boxer shorts on their heads and Tony started laughing looking at his two friends, "What in the hell are we doing?" "Do you guys realize how stupid you two look right now?"

Steve started laughing too and said, "Yeah, I was just going to say the same thing about you DiNozzo."

The next day the other pledges were forced to drink large amounts of alcohol then perform a variety of exercises which led to falling down and throwing up much to the amusement of the brothers. Tony, Josh and Steve did not have to take part in this event because they had to be on the team bus in the morning for the teams road trip to Indiana to play the Hoosiers. The Frat Brothers were first and foremost "Buckeyes" and they would never do anything to jeopardize the football teams chance of winning a game by causing three of it's players to be suspended. So Tony, Josh and Steve were given another challenge to perform.

They were each told to put on a pair of tight fitting boxer briefs then they were driven to Sorority Row and they parked in front of the house of the beautiful women of Delta Zeta. The three were then told what song they had to sing and what they had to do while they sang. Tony, Josh and Steve climbed out of the car wearing only their boxer briefs and walked to the middle of the lawn. They looked at each other, nodded then each proceeded to stroke themselves until they each had a full erection. Then they began to sing "Come and Get It," by Badfinger.

If you want it, here it is come and get it Mmmm, make your mind up fast If you want it, anytime I can give it But you better hurry cause it may not last

Did I hear you say that there must be a catch Will you walk away from a fool and his money If you want it, here it is come and get it But you better hurry cause it's going fast

If you want it, here it is come and get it,  
Mmmm, make your mind up fast If you want it, anytime I can give it But you better hurry cause it may not last...

As the guys sang their song over and over again, the girls began to come out of their house. To see three half naked men on their front lawn singing was a shock to say the least but as the girls listened to what the boys were singing they all began to laugh and many ran for their cell phones to take pictures. When the song was finished the girls all cheered and yelled for more but Tony, Josh and Steve finished (in more ways then one) and ran back to the brothers waiting in the car.

They all had a good laugh on the drive back to the Alpha Chi Delta House and Tony, Josh and Steve were soon to be celebrated as heroes amongst the brothers and they were each voted in unanimously. When Tony got home that night he told Alyssa what they had to do and she was embarrassed, "Tony, I know a lot of those girls, how am I supposed to face them now?"

The next morning the Buckeyes boarded the team bus headed for Bloomington Indiana where they would beat the Hoosiers 33-14...Tony had another outstanding game and was voted the Big 10 player of the week.

Back home Marie and Gibb's watched the game on television and both were proud when they heard the news that Tony won the player of the week award. Gibb's couldn't wait to call his friend Fornell and tell him about Tony's award. For years Fornell had bragged about his son who was playing football in high school and now played at the College level for Michigan. Now Gibb's suddenly felt like returning the favor. Gibb's smiled as he picked up the phone and dialed Fornell's number. 


	20. Chapter 20

The team had been working hard preparing for their next game against the Wisconsin Badgers but for the past few days Tony had not been feeling well. He was having abdominal pain that would come and go, he didn't have much of an appetite and whatever Alyssa forced him to eat, he would throw it up a few minutes later. Alyssa and Tony both thought it was the flu bug that had been going around campus. Tony did not want to miss the game against Wisconsin so he kept that he was not feeling well to himself.

It was an hour into practice that things took a turn for the worse. Tony had been dropping passes and letting the defense out run him. His coaches thought he was just not focusing so they were being particularly hard on him making Tony run the same play over and over until he got it right. Unfortunately for Tony, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get it right and he was beginning to feel that he needed to tell someone that he was not feeling well. He began breathing heavy and took a few steps towards his coaches, he reached down and grabbed his side which exploded in pain and he cried out, falling to his knee's. He tried to get back up but everything around him started to spin and he felt another wave of nausea coming over him. He fell to the ground and began vomiting, he heard his teammates and coaches around him but he could not make out their faces and then he passed out.

One of the coaches told a player to get the team Doctor and he reached down to pull Tony's helmet off. He saw that the young man was out cold and checked to make sure he was breathing. Moment's later the team Doctor arrived and knelt down beside the fallen player. He asked, "What happened before Tony went down?"

One of the coaches told them that Tony was running pass plays and suddenly went down grabbing his side in pain. The coach asked, "Do you think he's dehydrated?

The Doctor shook his head no after examining Tony, he did not like what he saw and said, "Call an ambulance now!"

The Doctor took Tony's pulse and said, "His abdomen is swollen, he has a fever and his pulse is going through the roof, did he take any hard hits out there on the field?"

The coach answered, "No, but he was not playing like he usually does. He was missing his catches and seemed out of it, dammit! I should have pulled him off the field Doc, I wasn't thinking."

The sound of an ambulance approaching made the players on the field step back to allow the EMT's to pass. Josh and Steve remained close by and felt helpless that they were unable to help their friend. Steve told the Doctor that Tony had not been feeling well the past few days and he thought he may have the flu.

The EMT's started an IV and then Tony was quickly loaded inside the ambulance and taken to The University Medical Center, the team Doctor rode with Tony in the ambulance and he grew more worried as Tony's vital signs began to worsen. The EMT's called ahead to the hospital and told the ER they were two minutes away.

The coach told the players to go home and went to his office and asked his secretary to get him the emergency contact information for Anthony DiNozzo. He sat at his desk thinking about the few times he had met with the DiNozzo family. He had gone to Baltimore twice to recruit Tony while he was still in high school and remembers meeting his family, especially his mother. He knew that Tony's father was killed in the 9/11 attacks and hated to think that the women he was about to call could possibly lose her youngest son too. He shook those thoughts out of his head as he took the information his secretary handed him.

He dialed the number and asked to speak with Marie DiNozzo. An elderly woman with a heavy accent told him to wait and called Marie. "Hello this is Marie, can I help you?"

"Mrs. DiNozzo this is Coach Tressel from Ohio State, I'm afraid I have some upsetting news."

Marie hung up the phone and immediately called Jethro telling him what happened then asked him to check the airlines for a flight to Ohio. Jethro booked them on a flight leaving in less then two hours and he quickly left his office at NCIS to pick Marie up. As Marie waited she told the family, who were all at the restaurant working what had happened to Tony. They were upset they did not have more information on Tony's condition and Marie assured them she would keep them updated.

The emergency room Doctor's stood looking at the images from Tony's ultra sound and one of the surgeon's said, "His Appendix has burst, get him to the operating room stat, I'm going to scrub up." 


	21. Chapter 21

Marie and Gibb's arrived at The Ohio State Medical Center and were told Tony was still in surgery. The nurse filled them in on Tony's burst appendix and told them the Doctor would speak to him as soon as Tony was in recovery. They were directed to the waiting room where they saw a large group of people huddled together in small groups talking. They were surprised to find out that they were all here for Tony.

Marie saw Alyssa sitting in one of the waiting room chairs and Steve had his arm around her in a comforting way. Alyssa saw Marie and immediately stood up and gave the woman a hug saying, "I'm so worried, he has been in surgery for over an hour."

Marie hugged Alyssa and told her, "Tony is strong, he's a fighter, he's going to be fine." Marie didn't know if she said this to convince Alyssa or herself, she thought probably both.

Coach Tressel and the team Doctor shook hands with Marie and Gibb's and explained to them what happened on the field. Coach Tressel said, "Had Tony told me he was not feeling well I would not have permitted him to practice today."

The team Doctor spoke next, "In a way he was very lucky it happened out here on the football field, if he had been told to stay home from practice and his appendix had burst while he was alone at home and he was not able to get himself medical help then he very likely would not have made it." The Doctor continued, "Because we were able to get him the help he needed quickly, he has an excellent chance to make a full recovery."

Marie took in a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you so much for being there for him, I couldn't bare losing him." Gibb's placed a protective arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head. Marie asked the football coach, "Who are all of these people?"

The coach looked around the room, "They are all friends, most are players from the team and from what I've been able to hear the guys over there are in Tony's Fraternity."

Gibb's went in search of coffee and Marie took a seat next to Alyssa. One by one the young men in the room came over and introduced themselves to Marie and each gave her a hug telling her that Tony would be fine. Marie was comforted in knowing that Tony had so many friends.

It was more then an hour later when the door's to surgery opened and a Doctor came out holding a chart in his hands. "Family for Anthony DiNozzo?" he asked looking around the waiting room. He was surprised when the entire room stood up but he saw that only two people approached him.

Marie said, "I am his mother and this is my husband, how is my son Doctor?"

The Doctor saw the worried look in the mother's eyes so he didn't want to make her wait. "Your son is going to be fine, I removed the appendix and cleaned up the damage the eruption caused. Were going to monitor him in recovery for the next few hours then he will be moved to a private room.

The waiting room erupted in cheers and the guys all high fived each other just like they would after the Buckeyes scored a touchdown. The nurse at the front desk looked over at the young men giving them a stern look and reminded them, "This is a hospital gentlemen." She sat back down at her desk hearing dozens of apologies.

Marie thanked the Doctor over and over and then asked, "When can we see him?"

The Doctor smiled and said, "How does right now sound?"

Marie holding tight to Jethro's arm followed the Doctor into the recovery ward. The Doctor made a few quick checks on his patient, satisfied everything was fine he said, "Visit as long as you like."

Marie and Gibb's nodded in agreement to the Doctor and made their way to Tony's bedside. Marie bent down and placed a kiss on Tony's cheek, causing the young man to open his eyes. "Hi mom, the Doctor said, I'm going to be fine."

Marie gently stroked Tony's hair, "I know sweetie, we just spoke with him."

Tony looked over at Gibb's and nodded hello to the man. Gibb's patted Tony's leg and said, "You had us really worried kid."

Tony looked at his mother and Gibb's and said, "I really thought it was just the flu, I can't believe I was so stupid. I didn't want to miss a stupid football game so I didn't tell my coaches how I was feeling. Now it looks like I'm going to miss several games." Tony shook his head angry at the thought of his great season going down the drain.

Marie said to her son, "I only care that your going to be fine, you will have plenty of football games to play later. Just concentrate on getting better." Marie wanted Tony to rest but she also knew that Alyssa would want to see Tony so she went out to the waiting room and told everyone that Tony was fine and that they could see him tomorrow if they liked. She asked for Alyssa and Coach Tressel to stay and she escorted them back to see Tony.

Alyssa took Tony's hand and kissed him, they spoke for several minutes and were thankful the others waited outside to allow them some privacy. "I'll see you tomorrow Tony," Alyssa said as she made her way out of the room.

Coach Tressel then came in and Tony nervously began to pull on the edge of his blanket. "Sorry I didn't let you or anyone know I was not feeling well."

The coach smiled and gently patted Tony's leg, "It's alright Tony, I'm just glad your going to be alright, but if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I don't care how good a player you are, you will be benched."

"Got it coach," Tony said.

Coach Tressel let out a breath, "You really had me worried Tony, I need to know when one of my players is not at their best. Your safety on the field is my responsibility and I can't do my job if your not being honest with me."

Tony looked at his coach, "I know it was stupid but I didn't want to miss the Wisconsin game. How many games do you think I'll miss now?"

The coach thought a minute, "I spoke with your Doctor briefly and from what he says it looks like you will need a month to recover."

Tony sighed, "That's at least four games."

Coach Tressel said, "Just concentrate on getting better, I'm gonna need you for the last three games of the season."

Tony knew the games in which the coach was referring too. Penn State, Iowa and Michigan were the final three games of the season and all three teams were close in the standing right now. The team that came out victoriuos in these games would more then likely win the Big 10 conference.

Marie and Jethro spoke with Tony's Doctor allowing Tony some time alone with his coach. Gibb's asked, "How long of a recovery time are we looking at?"

The Doctor said, "He will need to be watched closely for the first two weeks, no strenuous activity of any kind, after that he can start light workouts with the team but it will be close to a month before he can resume his normal workouts and even then I'm going to insist upon a full evaluation to make sure he can play football."

Marie nodded, "Thank you for that Doctor, I don't want Tony being the one to determine when he can safely play again, he has a history of not always being truthful."

The Doctor smiled at that, "Sounds like just about every other athlete I have dealt with at this University." He continued, "I saw from the emergency contact information that you live out of State. I think it would help in Tony's recovery if he were to spend at least the first two weeks under supervision to make sure he follows Doctors orders. Is there any chance a family member could stay with him or possibly take Tony back to Baltimore with you?"

Marie told the Doctor, "Tony shares an apartment with two others but they have classes and football practice, his girlfriend is a student and couldn't be with him all the time and I know she would try and skip classes to take care of him if he needed it."

Gibb's said, "I think taking him home with us makes the most sense."

Marie said, "I agree Jethro, but I have a feeling Tony may have to be convinced he needs someone to look after him, you know how independent he is."

The Doctor said, let me see what I can do. He walked into Tony's room just as Coach Tressel was about to leave, "Can you hang on a second coach, I need to talk to you." The two of them moved down the hall to speak privately.

A few minutes later Tony looked up to see his Doctor and Coach Tressel entering his room. Coach Tressel began, "Tony I was just speaking with your Doctor and he tells me it will help in your recovery if you have someone around to help you out for the first few weeks. I think it might be a good idea if you go home with your family for two weeks. I can make arrangements with your professors to allow you to work from home and keep up on your work."

Tony looked at his coach, "I don't need to go home, I can take care of myself."

The Doctor spoke next, "Yes Tony I know you can but by doing things for yourself could slow down your recovery process, I would think you would want to recover as quick as possible and get back in time to help the team?" The Doctor knew this was a low blow but he wanted what was best for his patient and he knew that having someone with him the first few weeks of recovery was in the young man's best interest.

Coach Tressel also knew how to play Tony, "I really need you back for the Penn State game Tony, come on and do this for me and your teammates."

Tony let out a big breath, "Okay I'll do it for the team but I still say I can take care of myself." He then looked at the two and said, "Did my mother put you up to this?" The Doctor and coach just laughed.

Marie was thrilled that she was taking Tony back to Baltimore with her and Jethro. It was three days later that the three of them made their way to the airport, Jethro upgrading his and Marie's return tickets to first class and buying an extra seat for Tony. He thought that Tony would be more comfortable in the more spacious first class accommodations then the cramped seating in coach. Even though it was just a short flight from Ohio to Baltimore Tony had plenty of time to flirt with the flight attendants, receiving special attention when he made sure they heard about his recent surgery.

Gibb's looked at Tony as one of the flight attendants refilled his Dr. Pepper and adjusted the pillow under his neck. "What would your girlfriend say if she saw you right now?"

Tony just smiled at Gibb's saying, "What are you jealous?"

Gibb's smiled and went back to reading his copy of Boaters Monthly and wondered what the next few weeks would bring. 


	22. Chapter 22

The first morning back in Baltimore, Tony was feeling well enough to spend the day lounging on the couch downstairs watching television and doing a little school work but later that afternoon he began to feel chilled and feverish and he told his two grandmothers who were taking care of him that he was going to go upstairs and take a nap. He woke up when they called him to lunch and he tried to eat the soup and sandwich they prepared for him but he just didn't have much of an appetite. His grandmother Cecelia kissed him on the forehead to gage whether or not he had a fever and as soon as her lips touched his skin, she felt how hot he was. The grandmothers helped Tony back into bed and called Marie at the restaurant.

Gibbs and his team had just returned to the bullpen from a crime scene and they were discussing their findings, plotting their next move to try and solve the case. Gibb's was just telling McGee to put a BOLO out on the missing Petty Officer's car when his cell phone rang. He answered, "Gibbs."

"Hi Jethro, it's Marie, I hate to bother you at work but I just had a call from home, it sounds like Tony has developed a fever. I called his Doctor back in Ohio and he says it's most likely an infection and said it's not that uncommon after surgery. He said he would prefer to have Tony checked out rather then just prescribe an antibiotic and said we should take him to our family Doctor or the ER. Mom says he's sleeping and I hate to move him so I was wondering if Ducky could maybe stop by the house and check him out?"

Jethro thought for a moment, "I'll ask him Marie and if he doesn't have plans I'll ask him to stay for dinner as well."

"Thanks Jethro, when do you think he will be able to get there? I'm just a little concerned," Marie said.

"Hold on Marie, I'll call him now." Jethro picked up the phone on his desk and dialed autopsy.

"Hey Duck, Marie just called and said Tony might have an infection and his Doctor wants him checked out, are you free to stop by the house and take a look at him, we will even throw in a free dinner for your trouble?"

Ducky smiled into the phone, "Not a problem at all Jethro and yes, I would love to stay for dinner. I can still remember the last meal I shared with your new family, it so reminded we of this little restaurant I visited while staying in Naples when I was attending a seminar on..."

Gibb's rolled his eyes and hated to interrupt his friends story but he had Marie waiting on his cell phone and he needed to get back to work so he said, "Duck, you can tell me about it at dinner tonight, when can you be at the house to see Tony, his mother is a little worried?"

Ducky answered, "As she should be, infections are quite common after surgery and these things are best dealt with at the first sign of distress and..."

"Ahhh Jeez Duck," Gibb's said.

Ducky sensed the tension in his friends voice and said, "I can leave now Jethro, Mr. Palmer can handle anything that might come up."

"Thanks Duck," Gibb's said and then he hung up the phone and told Marie that Ducky was on his way and that he would be joining them for dinner.

Ducky parked his Morgan in front of the DiNozzo's house and grabbed his medical bag from the backseat and made his way up the flower lined walkway leading to the front porch. He knocked on the door and smiled at the elderly lady who answered. Being a gentleman, he took off his hat and said, "Cecelia how nice it is to see you again."

Cecelia smiled back and opened the door to allow Ducky inside. Ducky asked, "So where is our young patient?"

"He is upstairs with Rosalie, as soon as we realized he was not feeling well we put him back to bed. We gave him some Tylenol and have been working to cool him down. He has been having nightmares and talking in his sleep not making much sense." The elderly lady spoke as she led the Doctor upstairs to Tony's bedroom.

When Ducky walked into the bedroom he saw Tony laying in bed while his grandmother gently wiped a cool rag across his forehead. Tony was dilerious, mumbling incoherently and pushing his grandmothers hands away as she tried to administer aid to her grandson. Rosalie looked up and was happy to see the Doctor had arrived.

She immediately allowed Ducky to take her place at Tony's side and the two elderly women began speaking in Italian to one another, obviousely very concerned for their grandson.

Ducky opened his medical bag and said, "Lets have a look shall we?"

Tony awoke during the examination, blinked a few times as his eyes focused on the Medical Examiner hovering over him.

"I'm not dead yet Doctor Mallard," Tony slurred. Then, as quick as he had woken up, Tony once again drifted off into a restless sleep.

Ducky looked over his shoulder to the two elderly women and said, "The poor lad must have had quite the scare waking up seeing me here." They both nodded in agreement.

Ducky checked Tony out from head to toe, he drew blood to confirm what he already suspected to be a post surgical infection and called in a prescription to be delivered to the house. The medication arrived within the hour and Ducky had Tony take the first of his new antibiotic with a full glass of juice. He then told him to sleep and that his grandmothers would bring him a tray up for dinner.

The DiNozzo's began arriving for the family dinner and each made their way upstairs to visit Tony but found him sleeping everytime. They sat around the dining room table and were all careful to keep their voices down so as not to disturb Tony's much needed sleep. Ducky told Marie he would be taking the blood samples to the lab tonight to confirm his diagnosis and that he wanted Tony to remain in bed for at least 2-3 days.

The next morning was Saturday and Marie was able to stay home and take care of Tony herself. She found a small bell and brought it into Tony's room along with his breakfast on a bedtray.

Tony was sitting up in bed, his back propped up by two pillows and his hand was working the remote for the television. The Buckeye game was going to be on television later this afternoon and Tony wanted to watch the pre game show.

Marie came in carrying Tony's breakfast on a bed tray and placed it over his lap. "Now you try and eat all that you can."

Tony was feeling better and he felt like he actually had an appetite, "Okay mom," he said as he took a bite of his toast.

Marie pointed to a small bell on the tray and said, "You keep this close by and ring if you need anything, Doctor Mallard said for you to stay in bed so I do not want to see you up unless you have to use the bathroom."

Tony picked up the bell and gave it a shake, he smiled and placed it back on the tray. Marie left the room and as soon as she was out of sight Tony reached for the bell and gave it a shake. Seconds later Marie was back in the bedroom, "Can I get you something sweetie?"

Tony smiled at her and said, "Nah, just checking."

Marie smiled at her son and said she would be back for the tray in about 20 minutes. Tony continued to eat his breakfast and watch College Gameday on ESPN. He finished the last of his juice and still felt thirsty, he looked at the bell on the tray and gave it a few shakes. A minute later his mom was back in his room. "Can I get you something sweetie?"

Tony held up his empty glass, "More juice please."

Marie took the empty glass and said, "I'll be right back, it's about time for your next antibiotic so I'll bring the pill with me."

Tony finished his breakfast and continued watching t.v the rest of the morning, he was feeling a little tired so he picked up his bell and gave it a little shake.

Marie once again arrived moments later at her son's side. "Yes sweetie, what can I do for you?"

"I'm feeling a little tired and want to take a nap, can you wake me up at noon for the football game?"

"I sure can sweetie." She helped Tony to lay down and pulled the blanket up to his chin and kissed him on the forehead. "What would you like for lunch today. I can bring your tray when the game starts if you like?"

"Sounds good mom, I think a sandwich and some of grandma's soup from last night would be good."

Marie ruffled Tony's hair and said, "I'll be up with your tray a few minutes before game time."

Tony closed his eyes and quickly fell into a restful sleep until it was nearly game time. True to her word, Marie arrived 10 minutes before the football game with Tony's lunch and she helped him sit up and get comfortable. "Now do you have everything you need?" She asked.

Tony looked over the tray and smiled, "Yeah mom everything looks great."

"You call if you need anything."

"I will," Tony said as the Buckeyes game against Wisconsin was just getting underway. It was strange for Tony to watch his friends in the game and not be there with them. He smiled when the sports announcers talked about him and mentioned what a big loss it was to the team to have him out for a month. He finished his lunch before the first quarter was over and felt like he needed some dessert so he picked up his bell and gave it a shake. Marie arrived a few minutes later, "Yes darling?" she asked as she picked up the lunch tray.

"Can I have some ice cream for dessert?"

"Sure baby, what kind would you like?"

Tony thought for a few seconds then said, "Chocolate chip."

Marie said, "I'll be right back." Before she even made it to the stairs she heard the bell ring again. She sighed and went back into the room.

"Do we have any of those wafer cookies with the frosting in the middle?"

Marie said, "I think we do."

Tony said, "Good, I'll take the pink and white ones, I don't really like the chocolate ones but if that's all we have then I'll take them."

Marie said she would be right back and went to the kitchen to prepare Tony's snack. Gibbs was sitting at the table working on a wooden model he was building and he saw Marie's back stiffen as she heard the bell ringing from upstairs. Gibbs laughed and said, "I think your going to regret giving him that bell."

Marie looked at Jethro and said, "He's just a little bored and probably lonely, it's really no bother at all." She picked up the tray with the ice cream and cookies and headed back upstairs. When she got back to Tony's room he was just about to ring the bell again.

Marie sat the tray in front of Tony and he looked at the ice cream and cookies. "Did you need something else honey?" Marie asked.

"I was wondering if we had any cool whip to put on my ice cream?"

Marie gave a fake smile and picked up the tray and carried it back downstairs. Gibbs looked up from his model, "What now?" he asked.

Marie went to the refrigerator and found what she was looking for. She put two spoonfuls on top of the ice cream and went back upstairs without saying anything to Jethro. Gibbs just laughed shaking his head.

Marie was up and down the stairs several more times until the Buckeyes finally defeated Wisconsin 31-13. Tony fell asleep during the post game show and Marie was tempted to take the bell away but when she saw that Tony held it in his hand clutched protectively to his chest as he slept, she didn't have the heart to do it.

A few hours later as she sat downstairs working on some of her sewing she had been neglecting she heard the bell ring and knew Tony was awake. She sat her project down and went upstairs to check on her son. The first call was for a drink, then he needed a softer blanket, apparently the one he had been using for two days was suddenly too scratchy. The next time the bell rang Marie was a little slow responding and Tony just let out a deep breath when she finally came into the bedroom.

"I just wanted to know what were having for dinner and maybe get a little juice or something."

Marie sighed, "Were having steak, baked potatoes and salad, I'll be right back with your juice, is there anything else you need while I'm down there?"

"Nope, just some juice."

"Are you sure?"

Tony thought for a few seconds, "Yes, I'm sure."

Marie looked at Tony for a few seconds making sure he was certain that he only needed juice. She made it as far as the end of the hall when she heard the bell ring. She stopped in her tracks and sent up a silent prayer, "God give me strength."

She walked back into the room and saw Tony leaning over the side of his bed trying to pick up the bell from off the floor. "Sorry mom, I just dropped it, he-he," he laughed.

Marie reached down and picked up the bell and sat it down on the bedside table with a bit too much force then was necessary. Tony sheepishly smiled at her and again said, "Sorry mom."

The next morning Marie had to go into work to help prepare a large catering the restaurant was delivering later in the day so Gibb's had to keep an eye on Tony. He prepared Tony his breakfast tray and responded to the bell several times for juice refills. He responded quickly when Tony asked for a snack a short while later. He brought Tony a jello-cup only to have Tony tell him he would prefer pudding. Gibb's went downstairs to exchange the jello for pudding when he heard the bell ring again.

Tony looked at Gibb's holding the chocolate pudding cup, "I was going to tell you I don't like chocolate and if we only have chocolate pudding then I'll take the jell-o cup instead. Gibb's let out a few angry breaths and went back down for the jello cup. Tony was content to watch a movie for the next few hours allowing Gibbs some time to work on his model. Just as he was about to glue a difficult section of the model together he heard the bell ringing and this caused him to drop the two pieces. He took his glasses off and went upstairs to see what Tony needed now. After getting him a new magazine to read, his cell phone charger from his backpack, his laptop and then another snack, Gibb's was about to lose it. He was finally able to get back to his model and was once again about to glue together that difficult section when the bell rang again. "That's it!" Gibbs said as he stormed up the stairs. He flung the door open slamming it into the wall and stormed over to Tony in the bed and yanked the bell from his hand. He held it up for Tony to see and proceeded to crush the poor bell in one hand. He then slammed the deformed bell back on to the bedside table and said, "What now! What else could you possibly need?"

Tony flinched at the angry man in front of him and said in a quiet voice, "Your team, The Nittany Lions are coming on next, I thought you might want to see the game."

Gibbs suddenly felt like he had just kicked a puppy. He had a rule about never apologizing but he was about to break his own rule. However, Tony looked at him and started laughing, he was laughing so hard it was beginning to hurt his still tender abdomen, yet he couldn't stop. Tony reached over and picked up the mangled bell and said, "I can't believe you did that to mom's bell, she's gonna be pissed."

Gibb's started to laugh too and he reached over and smacked Tony (lightly) in the back of the head. When Marie came home a few hours later she saw the two of them laying side by side in the bed watching The Nittany Lions crush Eastern Illinois 52-3...


	23. Chapter 23

The following week Tony was feeling much better, in fact he was feeling so well he needed to frequently be reminded to take it easy. He was happy that his mom had allowed him to go into work with her this morning. He promised to just sit in the kitchen and keep out of the way. To keep him from getting bored Marie gave him easy jobs to do that he could handle while sitting down. Tony was currently rolling utensils in cloth napkins and talking to his grandmothers as they chopped vegetables.

Michael and Frank were busy working the broiler and grill and in between orders they would come over and talk to Tony. Gina and Nicole were busy in the dining room taking orders and Marie was over seeing everyone making sure things were getting done.

Michael looked over to where Tony sat working and yelled, "Hey Tony, you hungry?"

Tony yelled back, "Yeah, you offering to make me something?"

Michael held up a nice sized ribeye and Tony smiled and said, "Medium rare and I'll take onion rings with ranch sauce."

Frank took a break by the time Tony's lunch was ready and the two brother's had their lunch together. Frank was telling Tony about how his relationship with Kate had really taken off, "Yeah I think she might be the one," Frank said as he took a bite of his french dipped sandwich.

Tony was happy for his brother, "Kate's a beautiful woman, your a real lucky guy," Tony said as he stuffed one whole onion ring in his mouth. Tony swallowed then a smile came to his face. "You know your lucky I had to go back to school because I saw her first."

Frank looked at Tony, "You and Kate, I don't think so...Kate is an experienced woman, besides I have moves you ain't had time to learn little brother."

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Experienced, care to share?"

Frank took another bite of his sandwich and just smiled, "Gentleman don't kiss and tell."

Tony laughed and said, "Okay, I'll just have to use my imagination then."

Frank thumped Tony in the forehead and said, "Fantasize about your own girlfriend and keep your dirty little mind off of mine."

Tony rubbed his forehead and said, "I'm just kidding Frankie, besides Alyssa is more then enough woman for me."

Frank looked at his younger brother, "I still can't believe your only seeing one girl, what happened to the "Sex Machine?"

Tony laughed, "I know what you mean, I find it a little hard to believe myself sometimes. I don't know what to say, she's different then all the others. She gives me everything I need," he said with a sly grin.

Frank just rolled his eyes and said, "God knows your no gentleman, so before you get started don't, I don't want to hear it because to tell you the truth I don't believe half of what you tell me anyway." Tony grabbed a french fry off of Frank's plate and just smiled at his brother. He really missed these kinds of moments with his family and he was going to miss them when he had to go back to Ohio on Sunday.

The week passed by quickly and the family gathered together on Saturday to watch the Buckeyes lose to The Purdue Boilermakers 26-18. After the game Tony sat in stunned silence and was having trouble comprehending that his team lost to Purdue. He couldn't help but think what might have been had he not been sidelined. This gave him the resolve to get himself back in shape and rejoin his team. When he left to go back to Ohio the following day he silently vowed that his team would not lose another game this season.

During the drive to the airport Gibb's asked Tony if he could possibly get him tickets to the Ohio State, Nittany Lion's game that was three weeks away. Gibb's had made plans to visit his father that weekend and thought it would be nice to take his dad to the game. Tony said, "No problem and I won't be mad if you root for Penn State," he said with a smile.

Gibb's smiled back at Tony, "Don't let my dad hear this, but I hope the Buckeyes win."

Tony laughed and said, "Thanks Gibb's, that really means a lot to me and I might just have to score a touchdown just for you." Tony put his hand out for Gibb's to shake.

Gibb's smiled back at Tony and ignored his hand and pulled the young man into a hug. You take care of yourself and make me proud."

Tony returned the hug and said, "I will, I'm leading this team all the way to the Rose Bowl, you wait and see."

Marie kissed Tony several times before he finally had to say, "Mom people are starting to stare."

The next week the Buckeyes had their Homecoming Game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and they won easily 38-7, Tony was on the sidelines cheering on his friends. He was allowed limited practice with the team during the next week and felt well enough to play in the next game but his coaches and Doctor said no. He again had to watch from the sidelines as The Buckeyes crushed New Mexico State 45-0. During the next week, Tony was allowed to practice with the team with no restrictions. He had received medical clearance to play and he was excited because the next game was against the Nittany Lion's.

The team boarded a bus from Ohio State and made the drive to Happy Valley where the Nittany Lion's call home. When the team was settled in their hotel rooms Tony called Gibb's cell phone to let him know he was in town. Gibb's and his father offered to come by the hotel and take Tony out to dinner. Tony accepted and the three men spent the evening together getting Tony back to the teams hotel just before curfew. Tony teased Jackson Gibb's saying. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were trying to get me suspended from tomorrows game."

Jackson smiled at Tony, "It's been a pleasure getting to know you young man, I want you to have a good game but I want to see my team kick some Buckeye butt."

Tony laughed and said, "Sorry Mr. Gibb's but you better start thinking about next year because we are on a mission."

Jackson laughed and said, "Is that so, we will just have to see now, won't we?" Tony smiled and thanked the two men for a nice dinner and told them he would see them tomorrow at the game.

Jackson Gibb's and all of the Nittany Lion fans were wearing their white out attire in support of their team. Jackson was a little upset at his son for choosing not to wear the traditional big game colors. Had he seen the Buckeyes t-shirt his son had on under his jacket he probably would have changed seats or made his son do so.

Jackson Gibb's was watching the pre game warm ups and had his eyes on his idol, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. He saw the man he admired talking to an Ohio State player. He couldn't see the name on the jersey and he thought for a moment he saw the Ohio State player point directly at him in the stands and then Joe Paterno looked his way. He was surprised when the two started walking towards the stands and when he realized it was Tony his heart began to race. Moment's later Jackson Gibb's received the thrill of a lifetime by meeting a man he truly admired. He and his son both were truly honored to shake the hand of the man that stood before them. At the moment Jethro was feeling a little guilty for wearing the Ohio State shirt under his jacket and he made sure it was zipped up all the way. Coach Paterno called a ball boy over and signed two footballs giving one to each man.

Tony stood back just watching, enjoying the happiness this brought the two men. He had learned at dinner the previous night just how much Jackson Gibb's admired the man and had only asked the coach to sign a football that he could give to Jackson. He was surprised when Coach Paterno said he would be happy to go and shake the mans hand. Afterwords, Tony shook hands with Coach Paterno and thanked him then went to finish his pre game warmups.

The game was an important one and both teams knew that the winner of this game would still be in contention for the Big 10 Title and the loser would have to settle for a lower ranked bowl game. The Buckeye players lined up as they do before all games, locking their arms together they lowered their bodies and in perfect unison, swayed their bodies side to side four times and then stormed on to the field, receiving mostly boos from the crowd numbering over 100,000 fans dressed in all white.

Tony was excited to be back on the field, he was so wound up he was hopping up and down on the sideline waiting for the Buckeye offense to take the field. True to his word, he took control of the game rushing for nearly 125 yards and scoring one touchdown. He caught a total of 8 passes, 3 of which came on third down keeping drives alive. The Buckeyes would go on to win 24-7.

After the game Jackson congratulated Tony and thanked him for what he got Coach Paterno to do. Jackson joked with Tony saying, "Had I known you were this good I would have tried harder to make you miss curfew." Tony laughed and thanked Jackson for the compliment.

Jethro thanked Tony for the game tickets and the meeting he set up with Coach Paterno. What he said next took Tony by surprise. "I never met your father but knowing his three son's I have to say he must have been a hell of a man. I'm proud of you Tony."

Tony blushed and shyly looked to the ground, he felt tears welling up in his eyes so he quickly had to get a hold of himself, he then looked up with a big grin on his face and said, "Just remember this moment when I'm home in a few weeks on winter break and I get into trouble." Gibbs laughed and pretended not to notice the tears in Tony's eyes.

The team boarded the bus and headed back to Ohio for their big showdown with The Iowa Hawkeyes and then the final game of the regular season against their hated rivals The Michigan Wolverines. The Buckeyes cheered when they heard that Northwestern knocked off the Hawkeyes in their game today and now it was set up that whoever won next weeks game would have at least a share of The Big 10 Title and would be going to the Rose Bowl. Tony fell asleep on the bus ride home and he dreamed of playing in his first Rose Bowl Game.

The following Saturday both teams came to play. It was a nail biter to the very end where the game went into overtime. Tony again had a great game and rushed for 80 yards and caught 7 passes. He didn't score any touchdowns but he was involved in many of the Buckeyes scoring drives. Today's game hero would be Josh. The score was tied 24-24 and The Buckeyes trip to the Rose Bowl came down to Josh being able to kick the ball through the uprights. He lined up for his kick and Tony again was hopping up and down on the sidelines unable to stand still. Everyone held their breath and waited. The ball was snapped and Josh sent the ball straight and true and the Buckeyes and over 100,000 screaming fans stormed the field in their 27-24 victory in overtime. Tony pushed his way through his teammates and fans and found his friend, without thinking and being caught up in the moment he gave Josh a big kiss right on the lips and continued jumping and celebrating with the crowd. The Dinozzo family celebrated at home in Baltimore and from his store in Stillwater, Jackson Gibb's said, "Good job Tony."

The entire campus would party all night after the big win. Tony and his closest friends celebrated at their Frat House with their girlfriends. Alyssa and Tony partied hard, they drank, they danced, Alyssa once again kicked butt at beer pong and when they finally made it home in the early hours of the morning they made love, then fell asleep wrapped in each others arms.

The next week was always lots of fun for the entire city of Columbus, it was now officially Michigan Week. Tony was looking forward to the parties even though he knew he had to tone it down considering the team would be practicing daily getting ready for the big game. All week long Tony went to his classes, then football practice and then at night he and his friends would make appearances at the various parties around campus.

The biggest party night always comes on the Thursday night before the big game. It centers around the big Mirror Lake jump where students and alumni jump in the freezing waters to raise the spirit of Woody Hayes to help lead the Buckeyes to Victory. Tony remembers taking his first jump last year as a freshman and this year he knew to make sure he had a few drinks in him before hand. Tony, Alyssa and all their friends gathered around the freezing lake wearing only their swim suits and one by one they took drinks from the flask they passed around then they joined the thousands of other Buckeye fans by jumping into the freezing water. Tony took Alyssa by the hand when he jumped and pulled them both completely under the freezing water. They both could no longer feel their bodies and when Tony took Alyssa in his arms and gave her a long and deep kiss, neither of them could feel a thing.

Tony looked inside his swim suit trunks and said, "This can't be good for Little Tony." He then began making crude jokes about Little Tony needing mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Alyssa splashed a face full of water on Tony and he jumped on her pushing her head under water and rubbed his groin against her face. She laughed as she came up from under the water and said, "You can be such a pig sometimes."

Tony gathered her up in his arms and said, "Yeah, but you love me anyways."

Alyssa put her arms around Tony's neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, she then proceeded to give him a deep passionate kiss that they both were able to feel. They decided to skip the after party at the frat house and went back to Tony's apartment where they took a hot shower. Alyssa proceeded to give Little Tony mouth to mouth resuscitation and she laughed when Tony screamed, "It's a miracle," when they both saw Little Tony spring back to life during the shower. They then made it to the bedroom and Tony showed Alyssa just how much of a caring lover he had become.

The next day the team left for Michigan with only one thought in mind. Beat the Wolverines and crush their hopes of making it to a Bowl game this season. He-he-he! Life can be so perfect sometimes! 


	24. Chapter 24

The DiNozzo women were putting the final touches on the buffet they were preparing for their family to enjoy while watching The Ohio State, Michigan game. All of the men were gathered around the big screen television in the family room watching the pre game show while the children played in the backyard. All of the members of Gibb's team had been invited to the football party as well as Gibbs' good friend, Tobias Fornell whose son played for Michigan.

Sal DiNozzo and his wife Rosalie had purchased jersey's with their grandsons #12 for all the family to wear for the big game. As invited guests began to arrive Sal stood by the door handing each guest a Tony jersey to put on. The only exception was Tobias Fornell who proudly wore his Michigan jersey bearing his son's number.

The game began and everyone helped themselves to the pizza, deli trays, assorted wings and multiple salad and pasta dishes. Grandma Cecelia clapped her hands when the starting lineups were introduced and Tony's picture was shown on screen along with several of his teammates. "He looks so handsome in that picture," his grandmother said proudly. Her husband Joe smiled at his wife and nodded in agreement.

Tim McGee had never been a fan of sports and knew very little about the game of football. He was having a hard time following the game and said pointing to the television, "Which one is Tony?" The room went quiet and all eyes turned to Tim and looked at him like he had grown a second head. Tim began to look around the room and then he realized what a foolish question that had been as his eyes caught site of all the #12 jerseys in the room, including the one he himself was wearing. "Never mind, I see him now," he said as he tried to hide his embarrassment. He turned several shades of red as the room exploded in laughter.

Frank sat with Kate snuggled up against him on the couch and explained to her the importance of this game while Abby and Ziva listened in. "The Buckeyes have already clinched at least a tie of the Big 10 title but if they win today they will be the outright champions even if Iowa wins their game today and the best part of all of this is that it will officially end Michigan's season denying them a chance to play in a bowl game." Frank looked at his small audience with the trade mark DiNozzo smile waiting for them to share in his excitement but the girls just starred back. Kate said, "That's nice honey," and Abby and Ziva just shrugged and turned their attention back to the game.

The family room exploded in cheers as the Michigan quarterback fumbled the ball and the Buckeyes recovered for a touchdown and they never looked back. Tony had a great game catching pass after pass and scored a touchdown. No matter how hard the Michigan defense tried, they could not stop #12 in the run or passing game. Tony did pay the price by taking several hard hits from the Michigan defense. Tobias Fornell stood up and cheered as his son made a hard tackle on Tony and slammed him face first into the grass. Tony was a little slow in getting up and both of Tony's grandmothers just looked at Fornell shaking their heads causing him to sit back down. Marie patted him gently on the shoulder and said, "It was a great tackle Tobias." Fornell smiled as his hostess handed him another beer.

The game ended with Ohio State winning 21-10 and everyone except Tobias Fornell was celebrating at the end. Gibb's shook hands with his friend and held out his hand for the wager he had won. Fornell slapped the money into Gibbs' hand saying, "Your boy is good Jethro." Gibb's loved the sound of that, "Your boy," he played the words over and over in his head. He had always wanted a son and now he had three and he was proud of all of them.

The Buckeyes capped off their season with a win in The 2010 Rose Bowl Game by beating the Oregon Ducks 26-17. Tony would always have fond memories of the 2009 Football season and everything else that happened to him that crazy year when he was just 19 years old.

His thoughts were brought back to the present as he heard someone walk into the bedroom. She held a newborn baby in her arms and said, "It's time to leave, mom and dad are downstairs waiting." Alyssa looked at her husband sitting on the side of their bed and saw that he was looking at their 2009 Ohio State Year Book. Alyssa smiled and said, "I can't believe that was just five years ago."

Tony smiled at the two people he loved most and said, "I was just thinking about how we got here and what might have been had I not broken my leg my senior year."

Alyssa handed Tony their son to hold so she could adjust his tie and make sure his speech was folded and inside his coat pocket. "I know how hard it was for you to not make it to the NFL, but look at what you have accomplished since then."

Tony thought about what Alyssa said and looked at his sleeping son placing a gentle kiss on the babies forehead. "Yeah, it turned out pretty well didn't it?"

Alyssa smiled and said, "I want you to know how very proud I am that you are graduating at the top of your class at FLETC and today when you stand up there on stage to deliver your classes graduation speech your family is not going to see a man who almost made it to the NFL."

Tony looked at Alyssa and said, "No, who do you think they will see then?"

Alyssa looked proudly at her husband and said, "We will all be looking proudly at NCIS Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Tony smiled and said, "That has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" He smiled and kissed Alyssa as they made their way downstairs.

Tony made his way on stage and looked down into the audience as he stepped up to the podium to deliver his speech. He saw many friends from college including Josh and Steve who were now having successful careers in the NFL. Team Gibb's were all in attendance and sat together, all except Kate who sat with the family since she and Frank were now married and expecting their second child any day now. All the other members of his family were there, he looked at his mother and felt tears well up in his eyes when she mouthed, "I'm proud of you." Next he saw his wife Alyssa holding their son Joseph with her parents at her side. He made eye contact with Leroy Jethro Gibb's, a man he could now easily call dad. He wanted to be just like this man, well maybe with a better sense of humor and better people skills, he laughed to himself at the thought.

He thought that his four years at Ohio State would always be the best four years of his life but as he reached for the speech in his pocket and looked into the eyes of so many people who loved him, he thought that maybe the best was yet to come.

The end.

A/N Hope you liked it. I wanted to try something different and see what Tony may have been like coming from a nice and loving family. Thanks to everyone for all of your reviews, now I can go back to doing what I like most and that is reading all of your wonderful stories. Thanks! 


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